SPT 12 Z — Basketball: A Masterclass, Second Edition
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Tara VanDerveer
Date(s): Jan 13—Mar 3
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:30—8:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $505
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 6:30—8:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 13—Mar 3
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $505
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Instructor(s): Tara VanDerveer
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
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.
Guest speakers include:
Susan Borchardt, Director, The Athlete Blueprint
Bill 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.
Guest speakers include:
Susan Borchardt, Director, The Athlete Blueprint
Bill 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.
Students who have previously taken SPT 10: "Basketball: A Masterclass" will find this to be a completely new course with different content and a contemporary focus. Both newcomers and previous students are welcome and encouraged to enroll.
Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online. Sign up for Section H if you think you might attend class on the Stanford campus at least once. There is no commitment—you can still choose to attend via Zoom for any session. Sign up for Section Z if you know you will exclusively attend via Zoom.
TARA VANDERVEER
Former 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. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.