An insurance seller leads a secret double life on the basketball court.

by Mick Kelly . photo by Matt Rose

In the world of women’s basketball, Judy Stroud has pretty much done it all. She started as an all-state high school and college player in the ‘70s, playing both basketball and volleyball for McDowell High School in Marion and Western Carolina University. She was head coach of the women’s basketball team at Western from 1981 to 1985, posting a 17-10 record in that team’s second season in Division I play. Then, she tried on a referee’s jersey. Since 1986, she’s either been officiating—or picking the officials for—women’s NCAA and WNBA games around the country for some 25 years.

To walk into her Hendersonville office building, you might not piece all of that together right away. Yes, she’s hung up a miniature basketball net, and there are sports-related plaques up behind her desk. But you might not notice the plaques and simply be interested in buying car insurance. And Stroud, who has been selling insurance for State Farm for 25 years, would be happy to help.

Leading such a busy double life has taken some coordination. In past years, when she was refereeing games, Stroud would fly to, say, New York City or Los Angeles, rest up before a game, officiate in a place like Madison Square Garden and then hop a red-eye flight back to Western North Carolina for work the next day.

In 2006, all her years of running up and down the court finally took their toll, and knee and hip injuries forced her to hang up her referees’ whistle. But since then, she’s been part of a four-person crew hired by the NCAA to vet all new referees. Stroud is basically responsible for screening refs in the Southeast, and this spring, she’s been jetting off to watch games in places like Philadelphia and College Park, Maryland.

Stroud is 5’8” (but seems much taller in heels). She played point guard and shooting guard in high school and college ball. She has an athlete’s confidence and the in-your-face assertiveness that one might expect from a former coach. She says she genuinely likes selling insurance. “I’m still coaching. It’s just a different sport,” she says, explaining that she now coaches people through decisions about their money and property. But when she first left basketball to take a job with State Farm, she found herself missing sports terribly. “I’ve had a lot of good things happen because of basketball,” she says. In the scheme of things, it sounds like women’s basketball has had some good things happen because of her, too.