Rookies, Refs & a Question for Tara VanDerveer

In this episode of Her Game Her Voice, we’re diving into:

🏀 How the Golden State Valkyries’ rookies are settling in

📍 Where Princeton’s Kaitlyn Chen is now (hint: she’s not done dazzling us)

🎤 Tara VanDerveer’s thoughts on building a pipeline for women coaches

💡 A listener question on the WNBA 3-point line (and what it says about the women’s game)

🎖 Plus, the Awards return with this week’s:

• Buzzer Beater: A coaching win that deserves a mic drop
• Airball: Lopsided local coverage (aka no love for the Valkyries)
• Flagrant Foul: The refs are getting side-eyed

It’s hoops, history, and a little humor—because women’s basketball deserves all three!

“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: 0:03

Hey, Hoop Heads, welcome back to Her Game, Her Voice, the podcast where women's basketball takes center court with big stories, little episodes, and zero apologies for yelling at the TV. I'm your host, Kaari Peterson.

Kaari: 0:17

Today's episode is packed with goodness. First up, the Golden State Valkyries. I also have a Kaitlyn Chen update for you. And I had a moment. I asked Tara Vanderveer a question about the coaching pipeline for women. And in true Tara fashion, her response was smart, honest, and full of that no-nonsense Tara wisdom we all love.

Kaari: 0:40

This week, our listener question takes us beyond the arc, literally. And then I'll wrap up this episode with everybody's favorite, the awards section of the podcast. Let's tip it off.

Kaari: 0:56

You may recall that in our last episode, I talked about the fact that our Valkyries don't have any rookies signed to the team. That was accurate and yet inaccurate. You see, the Golden State Valkyries have three rookies on the roster, Carla Leite, Janelle Salaun, and Kyara Lenskins. None of them were picked in the 2025 WNBA draft, though. Lenskins and Salaun signed with the Valkyries during free agency, and Carla Leite was selected in the expansion draft. And they did not play college ball in the United States. So we don't have the experience of watching them play in college and then move to the W to continue developing as players. And this is something I appreciate about rookie players in general. So far, I've been really impressed with Leite and Salon. These WNBA rookies from the EuroLeagues play with a lot more confidence and poise than other rookies from the U.S. And when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Leite has been playing in the EuroLeagues since she was 18. And Solan has been playing there since she was 17. So they both have about four or five years of experience playing in the EuroLeagues. Oh, okay. And this is why they don't look shell-shocked and out of place playing with the big girls right now in the WNBA. They've already done it in the EuroLeagues.

Kaari: 2:15

And speaking of rookies, I have an update on Kaitlyn Chen. As I mentioned in my last episode, the Valkyries drew a lot of criticism from fans who were just plain pissed that that they didn't keep any of their 2025 WNBA draft picks, especially Kaitlyn Chen. However, it was recently reported that Chen landed a new opportunity. She signed a new pro basketball contract joining the 3-on-3 Basketball Association. Chen will join the association in time for the upcoming Spokane 3-on-3 Hoop Fest taking place in late June. The winner of that tournament will move on to the Team USA FIBA 3-on-3 competitions. Caitlin, on behalf of all the Valkyries fans, we wish you nothing but the best.

Kaari: 3:03

I feel like I need a listener question jingle. It's time for a listener question. Here we go. This week, our question comes from Keisha.

Kaari: 3:13

What's the deal with the three-point line in women's basketball? Is it the same as the NBA? Do they think women can't shoot as far? Because that feels kind of insulting if it's true.

Kaari: 3:23

Great question, or questions, Keisha. Here's the deal. The WNBA's three-point line is 22 feet 1.75 inches at the top of the key and 22 feet from the corners. The NBA's line is 23 feet 9 inches at the top and 22 feet in the corners, like the WNBA.

Kaari: 3:45

Why the difference? Well, the shorter arc in the women's game makes threes a more obtainable, strategic option for players and a more exciting one for fans. So it's not really about doubting women's abilities. It's about encouraging a dynamic high-scoring game.

Kaari: 4:01

Thanks for your questions, Keisha. Keep them coming.

Kaari: 4:06

Now let's go back to my basketball masterclass with Hall of Fame coach Tara Vanderveer. One of the best things about taking a basketball class with Coach Tara was that it gave me easy access to her so I could ask her some of my burning questions about women's basketball.

Kaari: 4:22

My question came up earlier in the year when the Unrivaled Women's Basketball League kicked off. I just finished watching a couple of games and I was feeling disappointed because out of the six teams, four of the coaches were men. So I asked Coach Vanderveer what her thoughts were about the lack of women coaches in basketball. I told Tara that I was wondering if it had something to do with the pipeline. Like maybe women don't get the same level of support regarding pursuing coaching that men get. And if it is a pipeline thing, What can we do to improve the situation so that more women will go into coaching at both the college and professional levels?

Kaari: 5:00

Guess what? Tara said my question was timely. As it turned out, she had just had lunch with Danette Leighton, who is the president of the Women's Sports Foundation. They were founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, so let's just say it's a credible organization.

Kaari: 5:17

Tara said that she and Danette were meeting about the Tara Vanderveer Coaching Legacy Fund at the Women's Sports Foundation. The fund was established in 2019 in Tara's name to promote women in coaching in all sports, and it's a pipeline for women.

Kaari: 5:32

She told me that before Title IX, back in the early 70s, 90% of women's college teams were coached by women. The next thing she shared was a mind-bender. One of the unintended consequences of Title IX... was that with paid coaching and more money and prestige, men were hired to coach women's teams.

Kaari: 5:52

As of 2023, the number of women coaches had plummeted to 41%. And for women of color, the numbers were even worse. Just 7% of head coaching jobs went to women of color. Tara also told me that once the NCAA took over the governance of women's sports... women's athletic directors were either let go or absorbed into subservient roles in the athletic departments.

Kaari: 6:18

So basically, one of the unintended consequences of Title IX was that it started a bro-fest within athletic departments. Male athletic directors hired men to coach the women's teams. That's who they knew. Other men in the field. So that's who they hired. And as Tara said, also, a man wouldn't fight for gym time or bigger budgets.

Kaari: 6:40

Tara said, The Tara Vanderveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching is helping build the next generation of women leaders on the sidelines. Since the fund launched in 2019, it's awarded nearly $1.2 million to 44 schools, supporting 49 fellows across 14 different sports. The Vanderveer Coaching Fellows don't just get funding. They get mentorship, career workshops, and even conversations with Tara herself, which is kind of like sitting down with Yoda, but in a Stanford hoodie.

Kaari: 7:34

And the pipeline is working. From the first five classes of Vanderveer Fellows, 33 women are still coaching, five have become head coaches, and five more have landed jobs in sports-related fields thanks to this experience.

Kaari: 7:49

The bottom line? More women coaching means better sports for everyone.

Kaari: 7:53

And now it's time for the awards section of our program.

Kaari: 7:59

First, the Buzzer Beater Award. This week's buzzer beater award goes to WNBA's Becky Hammond, coach of the Las Vegas Aces.

Kaari: 8:11

On May 25th, Hammond's Aces got blown out by the Seattle Storm. They lost by a score of 102 to 82.

Kaari: 8:18

Why am I awarding her after her team got spanked?

Kaari: 8:23

Because Becky wasn't stomping up and down the sideline as her team struggled. In the fourth quarter, she pulled her starters and gave the Aces bench players some valuable game time experience. Then she sat between Asia Wilson and Chelsea Gray, and the three of them chatted for the remainder of the game. And it looked like Asia and Chelsea were doing most of the talking, and I thought, wow, this is really good to see. She's consulting her team leaders about what needs to change. Like, what do they need to do to turn this Aces season around?

Kaari: 8:54

Let me be clear, I am not a big Becky Hammond fan. In general, I'm just not a fan of basketball coaches who constantly pace the sideline while screaming at their players. I think this is because I spent over two decades watching Tara Vanderveer coach Stanford women's basketball, and she did the vast majority of her coaching sitting on the bench.

Kaari: 9:15

In fact, if Tara rose to her feet during game time, you knew something was wrong. Like when Stanford played Ole Miss in the 2023 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 round, Haley Jones got a very questionable five-seconds call when she was inbounding the ball in the final seconds of the game.

Kaari: 9:34

Tara jumped to her feet, come to think of it, so did I, and yelled at one of the officials. I'm pretty sure I did the same.

Kaari: 9:43

Side note, this is a point where Shmoopy might say something to me like, how do you remember a specific play from a specific game, but you can't remember to... (insert stupid thing I forgot to do).

Kaari: 9:57

Back to Becky Hammond. I was impressed with her behavior during the game against Seattle. And that's why Coach Hammond wins this week's Buzzer Beater Award.

Kaari: 10:10

And now, the Air Ball Award. This week's Air Ball Award goes to ABC's Channel 7 in San Francisco for their Valkyries vs. Liberty game coverage, a.k.a. Sabrina is a Star and Valkyries Who? Yes, Sabrina Ionescu is a local legend. She's from the Bay Area. She played high school ball in Orinda, became a national star at Oregon, and she had a super performance in the Liberties win over the Valkyries, shooting her signature three-pointers.

Kaari: 10:42

But if you actually watched that game, you know the story wasn't just Sabrina and Breanna Stewart. It was also the Valkyries, a brand new team holding their own against the defending WNBA champs. It was a scrappy, physical game with real grit, tension, and Valkyries players stepping up. But there's hardly any airtime given to the Valkyries. No mention of their intense defense. Insert deep sigh.

Kaari: 11:07

In a year when the WNBA is growing fast and fans are hungry for real coverage, not just highlight reels of big-name players, this kind of lopsided local reporting feels like a big miss. I'm not saying don't cover Sabrina and Breanna. I'm saying, how about including a little love for your local Valkyries, please? but Channel 7 really biffed it on this one, and that's why they win this week's Airball Award.

Kaari: 11:34

And now, the Flagrant Foul Award. This week's Flagrant Foul Award goes to Inconsistent Officiating in the WNBA.

Kaari: 11:43

Officiating in the W has already been under the microscope, and this time the lens zoomed all the way in. During the Liberties win over the Valkyries, Breanna Stewart shot, wait for it, 19 free throws. Wait, what?

Kaari: 12:00

Even coach Sandy Brondello was like, "yeah, that was a lot". She credited Stewie's drive and physicality, which, that's fair, but still, 19?

Kaari: 12:11

During the post-game press conference, Sabrina Ionescu stirred the pot when she blurted out, "SGA". Yep, she compared Stewart to NBA MVP Shea Gills Alexander, a guy who basically lives at the line.

Kaari: 12:26

And the box score? Stewart had more free throws than the entire Valkyries team combined. Yikes.

Kaari: 12:34

And it's true, some players know how to draw contact. But when calls pile up for one side, again, it raises eyebrows.

Kaari: 12:43

Last week, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called out inconsistent whistles in their loss to New York. Hmm. And that's why inconsistent officiating in the WNBA gets this week's Flagrant Foul Award.

Kaari: 12:57

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game Her Voice. If you'd like to hear more episodes of Her Game, Her Voice, please follow or subscribe to the podcast. Subscribing and following the podcast is a mutually beneficial thing. It benefits you because you won't miss an episode, and it benefits me because you won't miss an episode.

Kaari: 13:16

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Kaari: 13:27

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Kaari: 13:39

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Kaari: 13:44

acebook. Thanks again for listening and let's get hooping!