Tip-Off! Tara, Trailblazers, and the Game We Love

Welcome to the very first episode of Her Game Her Voice! I’m Kaari Peterson, and this is the podcast where women’s basketball meets the conversations that shape the game—on and off the court.

In this episode, I’m taking you inside my basketball class taught by legendary Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer. From the very first moment, it was clear this class would be special, and I’m sharing some of the key takeaways—including how basketball isn’t just about Xs and Os, but a reflection of America itself.

We’ll also dive into some fascinating history, like the first-ever women’s college basketball game between Stanford and Cal in 1896 (spoiler: men weren’t allowed inside, but that didn’t stop them from trying).

And of course, I’m kicking off my regular segments:

🏀 Buzzer Beater: A highlight-worthy moment in women’s basketball (this week, it’s USC’s classy move after their game against Iowa).

💨 Air Ball: A major missed opportunity (looking at you, LSU vs. Oklahoma brawl).

🚩 Flagrant Foul: A straight-up foul move in the world of women’s basketball (Geno, you earned this one).

Get ready for a mix of deep dives, history, and humor as we celebrate the game and call out what needs to change.

Subscribe to Her Game Her Voice wherever you get your podcasts, and let’s get hoopin’!

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Her Game Her Voice theme song Bouncin' written and produced by Kaari Peterson and Natalya Peterson.

“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson

Transcript

Kaari 0:00

I'm Kaari Peterson, and this is the first episode of Her Game, Her Voice, the podcast where I get to amplify the voices that shape the game of women's basketball, both on and off the court.

Kaari 0:10

I'm also going to share insights from my personal journey as a lifelong student of the game, including taking you inside the classroom with me and sharing what I'm learning in my basketball class taught by former Stanford women's basketball coach Tara Vanderveer.

Kaari 0:25

I'll also dive into stories about Stanford women's basketball, Golden State Valkyries, and the ever-evolving world of women's basketball.

Kaari 0:32

I just listened back to that first part, and I feel like I've already said the word basketball about a thousand times. Well, my dear hoop heads, this is a podcast about basketball, so I guess we're just going to have to get used to hearing that word basketball, basketball, and basketball.

Kaari 0:46

Now I want to share some highlights from my first class with Tara Vanderveer.

Kaari 0:50

Let me start by setting the scene.

Kaari 0:51

There are 200 students in the classroom at Stanford, and they were all chatting away loudly. And as soon as Tara said, all right, let's get started, the room went completely silent.

Kaari 1:01

It's clear that this is a room full of people who deeply respected Coach Vanderveer and quite possibly feared her as well. Frankly, I would place myself in both of those camps.

Kaari 1:11

Tara introduced herself and welcomed everyone to the class. Then she talked about her love for the game of basketball. She also talked about her deep gratitude and appreciation for everything that basketball has given her.

Kaari 1:23

And the way Coach Vanderveer expressed herself, you could just feel her passion for basketball permeating the room.

Kaari 1:29

Tara challenged us to think about basketball in a way that isn't just about X's and O's. Basketball is also a game that reflects the story of America.

Kaari 1:38

It's not isolated from the things that have happened and will happen in our country.

Kaari 1:43

Two things crossed my mind at this point.

Kaari 1:45

One, I am so glad I registered for this class because it's going to be extraordinary.

Kaari 1:50

And two, retirement has been really good for Tara. She seems way more relaxed now than she did when she was still coaching Stanford's women's basketball.

Kaari 2:00

Then we jumped into the invention of basketball. Now, from a historical perspective, we don't know how many of the games we play today started, but basketball is special. We know exactly when the game started and who invented it.

Kaari 2:12

It was invented by James Naismith in 1891. He was working as a phys ed instructor at a YMCA in Springfield, Mass. He was asked to create an indoor sport that wasn't too physically taxing and would keep athletes entertained and active during the winter. He drew inspiration from a children's game he played called Duck on a Rock.

Kaari 2:31

I know nothing about that game.

Kaari 2:33

In the beginning, basketball was played with a soccer ball and peach baskets were used as goals. Naismith wrote the original 13 rules for the game, and one of these rules was that there was a jump ball after every basket made.

Kaari 2:45

Imagine how excruciating that would be. It would really slow the game down to have to have a jump ball after every basket.

Kaari 2:51

This next fact really surprised me. It wasn't until 20 years later that the peach baskets were removed and a hoop and net were introduced to the game.

Kaari 3:00

But let's jump back just a little bit.

Kaari 3:02

On April 4th, 1896, the first women's collegiate basketball game was played, and it was played in San Francisco at the Page Street Armory.

Kaari 3:11

And can you guess which teams played in this first game?

Kaari 3:13

Stanford and Cal, of course, with Stanford winning the game 2-1.

Kaari 3:17

All three of the big San Francisco newspapers sent women writers to cover the historic game, and over 700 women came to the game to cheer on their teams. And men were banned from attending for, quote, the sake of modesty.

Kaari 3:32

Modesty's sake?

Kaari 3:34

What are they talking about?

Kaari 3:35

T hese women were playing basketball in long-sleeved blouses and long skirts. Maybe they should have worn bonnets, too.

Kaari 3:42

Just imagine what these people would think if they saw women's beach volleyball players today in their uniforms. I think it's safe to say that minds would be blown.

Kaari 3:50

But back to the game. It was reported that there were hundreds of men outside the armory. They even climbed onto the roof to peer through the windows and get a glimpse of the game. Legend has it that at one point, the women inside the armory had to fend men off with sticks.

Kaari 4:05

I think there's probably a pun or a joke in here somewhere. I just can't come up with one right now. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Kaari 4:11

The game at the armory was played according to James Naismith's original rules of basketball, which were adapted for women because they were, quote, thought to be physically and psychologically frail.

Kaari 4:22

According to the rules, the game was played in half court, and the court was zoned in thirds. Three players were assigned to each zone.

Kaari 4:30

Yep, if you're doing the math, that means nine players on each team.

Kaari 4:34

Each player could have the ball for no more than five seconds, and they could only dribble it twice. Needless to say, passing the ball was a huge part of the game.

Kaari 4:43

Only the players positioned at the net could shoot, and snatching the ball from another player was absolutely out of the question.

Kaari 4:50

How unladylike!

Kaari 4:51

The game was tied at 1-1 when Stanford's Agnes Morley, class of 1900, scored a basket for the win. Morley and her teammates returned to Palo Alto as heroes.

Kaari 5:02

They were met by a huge crowd of cheering men and a Stanford band serenade. If the Stanford band serenades you, you've done something really special.

Kaari 5:11

At this point, I was sitting there in the class thinking, wow, the legacy of Stanford women's basketball goes way back. How cool is that?

Kaari 5:21

Unfortunately, it was not so cool, my dear listeners.

Kaari 5:24

Sadly, women's basketball at Stanford didn't last long. In 1899, just three years after the historic game against Cal, Stanford ended all women's intercollegiate team sports.

Kaari 5:36

Stanford did this, quote, "for the good of the students' health, and for the unpleasant publicity accompanying the contests."

Kaari 5:44

What happened to all publicity is good publicity?

Kaari 5:47

Remember what Tara said about basketball being a reflection of America?

Kaari 5:50

Well, one of the main challenges at that time was that culturally, many people still viewed sports as strictly for men.

Kaari 5:57

Independent, strong, and active women who wanted to play sports were a threat. Female athletes were belittled as being mannish, and people thought there was something wrong with you if you wanted to play sports.

Kaari 6:07

There was a feeling that women were invading men's territory by even being interested in sports. Women couldn't even get time on basketball courts because they were all overseen by men.

Kaari 6:17

But sadly, it wasn't just men who held women back.

Kaari 6:21

Women held women back as well. Instead of going toe-to-toe with their male counterparts, they gave in and agreed to play intramural sports rather than intercollegiate sports like the men. Then you also had women physical educators in the mix. They approached it by saying, "Well, women's sports are okay this way, as a play day or through intramural, but we don't need to play the games the way men do."

Kaari 6:44

Where the heck did that voice come from? I think it must be my modest voice.

Kaari 6:50

As an aside, Coach Vanderveer shared that even when she was growing up, they didn't have varsity sports for women. They had "play days."

Kaari 6:58

Despite all of these challenges, there are still lots of women who are interested in playing basketball. And in the 1920s, there are lots of changes for women in America in general. We won the right to vote, women worked in factories, and as secretaries and sales clerks, and fashion changed too. Instead of long skirts, women started wearing knee-length dresses. This meant that women who played basketball didn't have to play in long skirts anymore.

Kaari 7:23

It was during this time in the 20s that basketball really caught on in small towns because it was inexpensive and you didn't need a lot of people to play. They even started girls' high school basketball tournaments in the 20s.

Kaari 7:35

I'm going to end our history lesson right now and move on to the awards section of our episode. Starting with the Buzzer Beater Award.

Kaari 7:42

Buzzer beaters are the extraordinary game-changing moments that make us cheer.

Kaari 7:46

And this week, the Buzzer Beater Award goes to the coach of USC's women's basketball team, Lindsay Gottlieb.

Kaari 7:52

After USC lost to Iowa, the coach had her team stay in the arena for the Caitlin Clark Jersey Retirement Ceremony. This was a really classy move. Like her or not... You can't deny Caitlin Clark's positive impact on the game.

Kaari 8:07

I think that Coach Gottlieb recognizes that USC and all the other women's basketball teams out there have benefited from Caitlin Clark's success. Well done, Coach Gottlieb!

Kaari 8:17

The next weekly award I'm going to give out is called the Air Ball Award.

Kaari 8:22

If you have an opportunity to do something positive for the women's game and you miss that opportunity, you're going to get an Air Ball Award.

Kaari 8:31

This week, the Air Ball Award goes to... LSU versus Oklahoma.

Kaari 8:36

Just a few minutes into the game, tensions were running high and players were already pushing and shoving each other. LSU's Samaya Smith shoved Oklahoma center Beatrice Culleton. Culleton ended up on the floor, and then Liz Scott from Oklahoma walked over and shoved Samaya Smith.

Kaari 8:55

And then Kim Mulkey ran out on the court, and I'm thinking, "oh Kim, please stand the sidelines, while the refs tried to separate the two teams."

Kaari 9:04

I'd like to note that Oklahoma's coach did not run out on the floor. I learned later that according to the rules, coaches are allowed to leave the bench to break up a fight.

Kaari 9:13

Anyway, while the refs tried to figure out what they were going to do about this whole thing, Carolyn Peck, one of the announcers, talked about how this behavior was "severe, extreme, and absolutely unacceptable," which I totally agree with.

Kaari 9:26

Ultimately, two players were immediately ejected from the game, Samaya Smith from LSU and Liz Scott from Oklahoma.

Kaari 9:33

You'd think that immediate ejections would send a message to both teams that the refs mean business and they need to cool it out there. However, the rough play continued. It was so bad, I was really worried that someone was going to get hurt.

Kaari 9:46

At this point, I think the coaches really needed to communicate to their players that this behavior was, as Carolyn Peck said, unacceptable.

Kaari 9:53

I was thinking about the fact that Tara had talked in class about how beautiful the game of basketball can be and that it's meant to be a beautiful game. But this stuff that was happening between Oklahoma and LSU was just plain U-G-L-Y.

Kaari 10:08

This was a highly anticipated game between two very competitive teams. Lots of people were watching, it was on primetime television, and they saw a really ugly game.

Kaari 10:20

So that's why the Air Ball Award goes to LSU versus Oklahoma.

Kaari 10:25

And finally, this week's Flagrant Foul Award goes to... UConn women's basketball coach, Geno Auriema.

Kaari 10:33

Now, those of you who know me are probably thinking something like, "wow, it's her first podcast episode and she's already going after Geno." It's true. I am not a Geno fan. Never have been, never will be. I have a multitude of reasons for feeling this way. Reasons that I'm sure will be revealed over the lifespan of this podcast.

Kaari 10:51

But after I share what I'm going to share, I think you'll agree that Geno earned this week's flagrant foul award, fair and square.

Kaari 10:57

During the press conference following UConn's first loss to Tennessee's Lady Vols since 2007, Geno threw Paige Bueckers under the bus.

Kaari 11:06

It's true, Beckers didn't have a great game against Tennessee, but it's never okay to diss on one of your players during a press conference.

Kaari 11:14

Geno, if you have feedback for Paige or anyone else on your team, share it privately with them. I get that you were feeling frustrated by the loss, but that doesn't excuse your bad behavior.

Kaari 11:24

And that's why my first flagrant foul award goes to coach Geno Auriema.

Kaari 11:30

And that's it for the first episode of Her Game, Her Voice.

Kaari 11:34

Next week, I'll talk more about American culture and the attempts to balance playing basketball and being female.

Kaari 11:40

Here's a little preview. In 1926, there was an AAU women's basketball tournament in Pasadena, California. And the headline in the LA Times read, "Amazons are here from all over the country."

Kaari 11:51

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game, Her Voice.

Kaari 11:57

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Kaari 12:12

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Kaari 12:20

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Kaari 12:23

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Kaari 12:33

Thanks again for listening and let's get hooping!