What a profession it has been for Stanford’s Ladies’s Basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer. In her forty fifth season as Stanford’s Ladies’s Basketball head coach, she’s completed one thing no different coach has carried out.
With a 65-56 victory over Oregon State, VanDerveer turned the report holder for probably the most wins within the historical past of Males’s and Womens’ faculty basketball. She’s earned 1,203 victories as a head coach on the collegiate stage, which is exceptional.
On Sunday night, each participant on the Stanford roster was seen carrying a “1,202… And One” shirt, adopted by the Nike Swoosh on the underside. Their theme for the night time was #onlyher, dedicating the whole night to such an admirable human and coach. She might not love the limelight; nonetheless, the whole basketball neighborhood confirmed their admiration for coach VanDerveer.
She’s coached some unbelievable athletes
That is for the best to ever do it… my Coach Tara. @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/GZmAsLwKAE
— Chiney Ogwumike (@chiney) January 22, 2024
After the victory, her gamers, together with the teaching employees, joined her on stage, with a vibrant show of 1,203 within the background. VanDerveer acknowledged former Stanford Males’s Basketball head coach Mike Montgomery was the one individual that put her accomplishments into perspective.
On Montgomery, he informed VanDerveer “I must coach 20 extra years and win 25 video games a yr to achieve that.”
“It’s a huge quantity”, stated VanDerveer. “I’m very appreciative of the good gamers I’ve coached, and the good locations I have been. The eye that has been delivered to Womens’ basketball.”
All through her illustrious profession, VanDerveer has coached a number of the most elite athletes together with Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, Jennifer Azzi, Candice Wiggins, Nicole Powell, Jayne Appel, Kate Starbird, Kayla Pedersen, Val Whiting, and Cameron Brink.
A Massachusetts native, Stanford’s head coach grew up close to Schenectady, New York. Whereas her dad and mom have been adamant that basketball would not take her wherever at a younger age, VanDerveer pursued her desires. A guard for Albany and Indiana, she took up teaching shortly after finishing her undergraduate diploma.
Coach VanDerveer has lengthy checklist of accomplishments and accolades
In 1978, VanDerveer was employed as head coach at Iowa after incomes her grasp’s diploma at Ohio State. Two years later, she turned the pinnacle coach at Ohio State for the subsequent 5 years, the place she had a 110-37 win/loss report. In 1985, Stanford employed VanDerveer to be their subsequent head coach of the Ladies’s basketball staff.
It was at that second, Stanford employed some of the prolific coaches to ever step foot on the court docket. As a part of the Pac-12, she led Stanford to 13 NCAA Last Fours, 14 Pac-12 Convention Championships, and three NCAA Division 1 Championship Titles. For her private accolades, VanDerveer is a 5x Nationwide Coach of the Yr, 10x Pac-10 and Pac-12 Coach of the Yr, and 2x Massive Ten Coach of the Yr.
Inducted to the Basketball Corridor of Fame in 2011, she acted as the pinnacle coach for america Olympic staff. Coach VanDerveer is a three-time Gold Medalist (1991, 1994, 1996), and in her 45 years of teaching, she has a 1,203- 267 (.818) win/loss report. In 1,470 profession video games as head coach, VanDerveer solely suffered one shedding season, which was satirically her first with Stanford in the course of the 1985-1986 season.
Her focus was on her staff and gamers final night time
What a second 🤩
Present and former @StanfordWBB gamers joined Coach Tara on stage after her 1,203rd win 📸 pic.twitter.com/IAkYLgOHdH
— Pac-12 Community (@Pac12Network) January 22, 2024
With out star Cameron Brink , Stanford saved the rating shut with the Beavers, commanding a 28-22 lead at halftime. Sophomore guard Talana Lepolo made a three-point jumper with 6:19 left to go within the third quarter. From there, Stanford by no means regarded again. Lepolo completed with 14 factors, six assists, and three rebounds. Even after the sport, VanDerveer solely wished to speak about how properly her gamers carried out.
No Cameron Brink? No downside. Junior star Kiki Iriafen took over the sport, racking up a powerful double-double, which included a career-high 36 factors and 12 rebounds. Scoring over 55 % of the staff’s complete factors, Iriafen has lastly damaged out in her third yr as a Cardinal. Within the outing, she hit one hundred pc of her pictures from the three-point line.
Following the victory and milestone, Stanford’s head coach donned a customized jacket made by Nike. On the jacket consists of tallies, which represents each victory earned in her collegiate head teaching profession, together with the Stanford brand.
As for VanDerveer, she was thrilled with Iriafen’s breakout efficiency and the competitiveness from her staff within the absence of Brink.
“I really like that undeniable fact that Kiki [Iriafen] determined at this time was the day to knock down her three and go back- to again on her three-point shot, stated VanDerveer. “Kiki had all All-American efficiency. She was improbable.” And in her press convention, coach by no means made it about one single participant. Like another press convention, VanDerveer shortly veered round her historic occasion and broke down the sport.
Tara VanDerveer passes Mike Krzyzewski within the all-time wins column
Congrats to Tara Vanderveer on changing into the all time chief in wins for a NCAA basketball coach! pic.twitter.com/ESfPDFmE9E
— Ballislife Womens Basketball (@ballislifewbb_) January 22, 2024
Lengthy earlier than this profession milestone, VanDerveer was thought-about one of many best to ever coach the sport. With 1,203 profession wins, VanDerveer surpasses former Duke Males’s Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who completed his profession with 1,202 wins. Behind her is UConn Ladies’s Basketball head coach Geno Auriemma with 1,196 profession victories. Trailing is the late Pat Summit with 1,098 profession wins, and former Syracuse head coach, Jim Boeheim, with 1,015 wins.
The truth is, “Coach Okay” shared some heartfelt phrases in a social media publish on X. She additionally obtained tribute movies from Billie Jean King, and
“Tara, congratulations. What a tremendous achievement. And what’s much more wonderful is the style by which you achieved so many victories.
In keeping with Kyle Bonagura, of ESPN, ‘VanDerveer has extra wins than 355 of the 360 NCAA Divisional 1 Womens’ basketball packages.’ That stat screams how extremely completed she is. Her dominance amid the evolution of ladies’s basketball is unbelievable.
She stands for excellence
With Maples Pavilion almost full, coach VanDerveer obtained a standing ovation and cheers from the group the whole night time. A head coach for the reason that age of 24 years outdated, she’s actually a pioneer in Ladies’s basketball. Paving the best way for future girls in sports activities, she’s set a regular and elevation for not solely the convention, however NCAA basketball as properly.
With all of her accomplishments, she’s notoriously recognized for connecting along with her scholar athletes, in addition to a high-level recruiting. Over 4 a long time of teaching, VanDerveer has been constant, displaying the identical haircut bob yr after yr. Rising up watching Tara VanDerveer, I’ve at all times admired her arduous work and excellence that is set the usual for athletes and coaches to come back.
Passionate concerning the sport she’s cherished for the reason that third grade, Tara VanDerveer will endlessly have an effect on the athletes she’s coached. Really one of many humblest coaches we have ever seen, at 70, she nonetheless exhibits the imaginative and prescient, and self-discipline she’s at all times had.
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Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter, Content material Creator and Social Media Supervisor at Ballislife. She has a give attention to the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane presently resides in Connecticut/NYC space along with her Cat and Canine. SJ has her undergraduate diploma from the College of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in enterprise administration.
