Stanford forward Cameron Brink looked on from the bench, having fouled out of her team’s February matchup against Oregon late in the fourth quarter. As she sat and watched the waning seconds of the contest, with then No. 2 Stanford clinging to a three-point lead, something clicked in her mind.
With 6.5 seconds to play, Agnes Emma-Nnopu went to the free throw line. The then sophomore guard would take only nine shots from the stripe all season and make just five of them. On this night, she missed the first. In between the pair, Brink and then teammate guard Alyssa Jerome called out from the sideline, “You’re loved, Agnes. We love you!”
“Just letting her know we’re behind you,” Brink says now. “It kinda just felt second nature.”
Emma-Nnopu took a deep breath and sank her second attempt, stretching Stanford’s lead to four. A few ticks later, the Cardinal basked in the elation of the victory that kept them in the mix for the Pac-12 title, a win that All-American Haley Jones says was a “make-or-break moment” for the group.
Brink and Jerome’s message was no coincidence. Every Tuesday, usually before the start of practice, coach Tara VanDerveer invited Frederic Luskin to speak with the team. Luskin is an educator, author and director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, which researches the effectiveness of “forgiveness therapy.” With players gathered around him, Luskin would begin his 10-minute meditations with a guided visualization or breathing exercise, before raising that day’s central theme, usually pertaining to the qualities of grit or the power of love. He would conclude with another interactive component, like asking those in attendance to imagine what a successful practice would look like or think of someone on the team you were affectionate toward and feel the warmth in your heart.
Among the basketball situations he discussed most were high-pressure, late-game moments at the free throw line. “If you’re taking a free throw and you’re anxious about the outcome, remind yourself that you’re loved,” he often told them.
“Like a cool, full circle moment,” Brink, now a junior, says of Emma-Nnopu’s free throw.
Throughout last season, the Cardinal “soaked up every minute we could get” with Luskin, says Brink, who playfully calls him “Stanford’s happiness professor.” VanDerveer believes he has been helpful to the program. This season, time will be invaluable for the Cardinal, who are undefeated through their first five games and still hold the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Returning players are especially cognizant of making the most of every second and every game.
Over the course of one subpar outing against UConn in the national semifinals this past April, Jones, now a senior, went from a player who had never lost an NCAA tournament contest—March Madness was canceled during her freshman season, and Stanford won the tourney during Jones’s sophomore campaign—to one who likely has one collegiate run left. Weeks before that, the team and university had been reminded of life’s fragility when Stanford soccer goalie Katie Meyer died by suicide. Luskin was among the people who helped the players process initial feelings of grief.
VanDerveer sees this year’s team “as a totally different puzzle to put together,” due in part to the departures of starting guards Lexie and Lacie Hull and Anna Wilson, as well as reserves Jordan Hamilton, Jenna Brown and Jana Van Gytenbeek (the latter two via the transfer portal). Nevertheless, expectations remain high. “As a team, we have the same goals every year,” Jones says. “It’s an undefeated regular season. Win the Pac-12 regular season. Win the Pac-12 title. Win the regional. Win the natty.” Sure, those are lofty aspirations—especially with No. 1 South Carolina coming to town Sunday—but they are also not unreasonable considering the school’s talented roster and recent history.
It’s impossible to exactly quantify how much Luskin helps Jones, Brink or any one teammate on any given possession. VanDerveer is a traditionally intense coach but says she has recognized in recent years the importance of finding new ways to reach her players. Luskin helps keep the team centered, says the coach, and fosters feelings of togetherness, which can pay dividends on the hardwood. Stanford’s returners have had time to apply Luskin’s teachings to an adverse situation, like their abrupt tournament exit against the Huskies and significant roster turnover, and think about their response. “We do everything with joy because we all love what we’re doing and we love each other,” Jones says.
The Cardinal are hoping the most euphoric of celebrations awaits.