CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The basketball court serves as an experiential classroom for leadership and diversity. The skills developed on the court can positively impact not only the players but also their communities by fostering inclusivity, embracing diversity, and breaking down barriers. Leaders in basketball can contribute to creating a more equitable and understanding society.
Join this discussion with Harvard affiliates and leaders on and off the court to learn how you can further amplify the impact of sports as a powerful tool for social change. The conversation will take place on April 23 at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Moderated by James I. Cash, the James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School. Welcome and opening remarks by Erin McDermott, the John D. Nichols ’53 Family Director of Athletics.
Co-hosted by Harvard Business School and Harvard Athletics.
Panelists include:
Tommy Amaker, Thomas G. Stemberg ’71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men’s Basketball
In the 16 seasons since taking over as head coach of Harvard’s men’s basketball program, Tommy Amaker has reinvented the Crimson into an Ivy League power with a national presence. He has directed Harvard to a period of unprecedented prosperity in the form of seven Ivy League championships (2011-15, 2018-19), four NCAA tournament appearances (2012-15) and seven 20-win seasons (2010-15, 2020). Amaker is the all-time winningest coach with the Crimson, surpassing Frank Sullivan with a 74-66 win at Boston College on Dec. 7, 2016. The 2022-23 campaign marked his 16th in Cambridge.
Amaker was introduced as head coach by then-Nichols Family Director of Athletics Bob Scalise on April 13, 2007, following six seasons as head coach at Michigan and four at the helm of Seton Hall. Amaker owns a 454-305 career record: 278-166 at Harvard, 108-84 at Michigan and 68-55 at Seton Hall. He has earned numerous coach-of-the-year awards, including the 2013 Clarence “Big House” Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, presented to the top minority basketball coach in NCAA Division I. In 2012, he was presented with district coach-of-the-year awards from both the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was a candidate for the AP National Coach of the Year. He has also been named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award six times (2011-15, 2019), and the Hugh Durham Award three times (2011, 2012, 2015). In June 2020, he was named The James Herscot ’58 Coach of Excellence, a title he held in 2020-21, becoming the fifth recipient in Harvard history.
Carrie Moore, Kathy Delaney-Smith Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Basketball
Carrie Moore, The Kathy Delaney-Smith Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Basketball, is in her second year at the helm of the Crimson after being named the fourth head coach in program history on April 6, 2022.
In her first season in Cambridge, Moore led the Crimson to historic heights. The biggest win of her young career came on Dec 31st, as the Crimson beat Princeton to break their 42-game Ivy league win streak. The team compiled a record of 20-12 overall, a win total that was a program best for a first-year head coach. Following a third-place finish in the Ivy League regular season, the Crimson upset two-seed Columbia, 72-65, to advance to the Ivy League Tournament Championship game for the first time in program history. Moore, and the Crimson, continued to make history, as they went on to win three games in WNIT, another program best for the first-year head coach. In 2023, Moore coached three players to All-Ivy accolades including Harmoni Turner who earned First-Team All-Ivy, Lola Mullaney (Second-Team All-Ivy), and Elena Rodriguez (Honorable Mention All-Ivy)
Prior to taking over the Crimson, Moore served one season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in Ann Arbor, guiding Michigan to a 25-7 record (13-4 Big Ten) and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines entered the postseason ranked 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, marking the program’s highest regular-season-ending ranking in school history.
Marshall Plumlee (MBA 2024), Former NBA Player, US Army Ranger Infantry Officer
At seven feet tall, Marshall Plumlee stands out in a formation. It also helps that he played in the NBA and served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and now, he’s adding Harvard Business School to the list.
Plumlee played on Duke University’s basketball team for five years under coach Mike Krzyzewski, becoming team captain and winning a National Championship in 2015.
Additionally, he undertook Army ROTC while competing for the Blue Devils. His interest in the U.S. military could be traced back to a former player for Coach Krzyzewski at West Point. At a high school basketball tournament, Plumlee was mentored by US Army General (Retired) Robert Brown, who, as Plumlee recounted in a 2020 interview, told him there might be a way to both play college basketball and join the Army. Plumlee then became the first Duke basketball player in three decades to also participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Upon graduation from Duke, Plumlee was signed by the New York Knicks in 2016, and eventually commissioned and joined the New York Army National Guard. He would go on to play two NBA seasons in New York and Milwaukee before transitioning to active duty as perhaps the tallest infantry platoon leader soldiers have ever seen.
After graduating from Ranger School in 2019, Plumlee went on to serve with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and then with the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. As the 3rd Ranger Battalion Mortar Platoon Leader, CPT Plumlee deployed twice to Afghanistan, most recently as part of the evacuation effort.
Currently, Plumlee is enrolled at Harvard Business School following his recent transition from the military in April 2022. Following HBS Plumlee will join Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities Group as an investor. He is the youngest of three brothers who also play in the NBA, Mason Plumlee (LA Clippers), and Miles Plumlee (Retired).
Mark Tatum (MBA 1998), Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the National Basketball Association
Mark Tatum was appointed NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer on Feb. 1, 2014, following unanimous approval by the NBA Board of Governors.
Tatum, who joined the NBA in 1999, is responsible for the NBA’s business operations, including leading the league’s international efforts. He oversees the Global Partnerships, Marketing, Communications, Events, Global Strategy & Innovation and Team Marketing & Business Operations, New Business Ventures, and Data & Analytics departments in addition to the NBA G League.
Prior to joining the NBA, Tatum worked for Major League Baseball in Corporate Sponsorship and Marketing, the Clorox Company as a Regional Sales Manager, Pepsi-Cola Company in their Sports Marketing department, and Procter & Gamble in sales management.
Tatum sits on numerous boards including USA Basketball, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, General Motors, LA 2028 Summer Olympics, and Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors. He is a board member of the Harvard Business School Club of New York, and a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a national organization that empowers African-American corporate leaders to make impactful contributions.
Tatum received a B.S. in Business Management from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University.
James I. Cash, James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School
Dr. Cash served on the Boards of fifteen Fortune 100 companies, including Walmart, Microsoft, Chubb, General Electric, Sprint, Scientific Atlanta, and State Street Corp. He has served as an investor and on the boards of over thirty early-stage enterprise software companies including Veracode and Phase Forward. He is currently serving on the boards of Aura, WELL and The Boston Celtics.
Among the many non-profit organizations, he has served are Mass General Hospital, The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Mass Computer Software Council, The Gardner Museum, Babson College, Partners HealthCare, The National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation, Harlem Children’s Zone, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Boston Museum of Science.
Under the umbrella of The Cash Catalyst LLC, Dr. Cash runs personal development programs for executives and board members of Global 500 organizations interested in the intersection of information technology and corporate strategy. He also currently serves as an advisor to General Catalyst Partners and Grain Management.
Dr. Cash graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) with a B.S. in Mathematics, while being named an Academic All-American in basketball. Later he received a Master of Science in Computer Science from Purdue University’s Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Accounting from Purdue University’s Krannert Graduate School of Management.