
Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm (PT) • 8 weeks • January 13 – March 3
Join us on campus or online!
This winter, step back into the action with the legendary "Queen of the Court," coach Tara VanDerveer—retired as the winningest coach for both men’s and women’s in Div I NCAA basketball history with 1,216 career victories—for a reimagined "Basketball: A Masterclass."
Building on the success of her well-loved first edition, VanDerveer will offer an insider’s view of the evolving world of basketball, from the rise of sports gambling and shifting media rights to global recruitment pipelines. Sessions will unpack the secrets of championship programs, probing leadership dynamics, recruiting strategies, team culture, and the psychology behind elite performance, while covering practical insights on training, nutrition, and the business of basketball. Fan-favorite "Chalk Talks" will return as VanDerveer breaks down plays, defenses, and analytics to reveal the game through a championship coach’s eyes. The course will also convene leading voices from sports, business, journalism, and academia—including Jess Smith, president of the Golden State Valkyries. Weekly "Where Are They Now?" segments will spotlight the journeys of former Stanford stars, including Karlie Samuelson, now a WNBA player; Olympia Scott, who works at Nike; and Ros Gold-Onwude, a basketball television announcer.
Designed for fans and newcomers alike, this course offers the opportunity to examine basketball’s global ascent through the lens of one of its defining figures.
Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online. At this time, the on-campus section is full and closed for registration. We invite you to join us online to attend the class via Zoom!
| SECTION H: Register for On-Campus Course (FULL) » |
SECTION Z: Register for Online Course » |
Course Instructor
Tara VanDerveerFormer Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Stanford
Tara VanDerveer was the head women's basketball coach at Stanford from 1985 until 2024. When she retired after the 2024 season, she held the record as the winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball, with 1,216 victories, and led her Stanford teams to three NCAA Championships, one of four coaches in the history of the sport to win three titles. She advanced the Cardinal to 14 NCAA Final Four appearances, 26 Pac-12 regular-season titles, 15 Pac-12 Tournament crowns, and 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament. She is the author of Shooting from the Outside, which chronicled her 1996 gold-medal Olympic and 60-0 National Team experience.
Guest Speakers
Susan Borchardt, Director, The Athlete BlueprintBill Bradley, Former US Senator from New Jersey and NBA Hall of Famer with the New York Knicks
Amy Brooks, President, New Business Ventures, National Basketball Association
Alyssa Jerome, Director of Agent Deployment & Success, Assort Health
Fred Luskin, Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and Senior Consultant in Health Promotion, Stanford
Kirsten Moss, Founder and Principal, Moss Consulting
Heather Owen, Director of Athletics, Santa Clara University
Damon Phillips, Executive Vice President, FanDuel Sports Network
Krista Rappahahn Birnie, Pediatric Hospitalist, Stanford Medicine Children's Health
Jess Smith, President, Golden State Valkyries
Kate Starbird, Professor of Human Centered Design & Engineering and Co-Founder of the Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington
Adrian ‘Woj’ Wojnarowski, General Manager, St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Program
Please note: The speaker list may be updated as additional participants are confirmed.