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 achieved one thing no different coach has finished.
With a 65-56 victory over Oregon State, VanDerveer grew to become the report holder for essentially the most wins within the historical past of Males’s and Womens’ school basketball. She’s earned 1,203 victories as a head coach on the collegiate stage, which is outstanding.
On Sunday night, each participant on the Stanford roster was seen sporting a “1,202… And One” shirt, adopted by the Nike Swoosh on the underside. Their theme for the night time was #onlyher, dedicating all the night to such an admirable human and coach. She might not love the limelight; nonetheless, all the basketball neighborhood confirmed their admiration for coach VanDerveer.
She’s coached some unimaginable 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 workers, 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 large quantity”, mentioned VanDerveer. “I’m very appreciative of the good gamers I’ve coached, and the good locations I have been. The eye that has been dropped at Womens’ basketball.”
All through her illustrious profession, VanDerveer has coached among 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 anyplace 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 record 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 grew to become the top 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 workforce.
It was at that second, Stanford employed one of the crucial prolific coaches to ever step foot on the courtroom. As a part of the Pac-12, she led Stanford to 13 NCAA Closing 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 12 months, 10x Pac-10 and Pac-12 Coach of the 12 months, and 2x Massive Ten Coach of the 12 months.
Inducted to the Basketball Corridor of Fame in 2011, she acted as the top coach for america Olympic workforce. 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 paradoxically her first with Stanford throughout the 1985-1986 season.
Her focus was on her workforce 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 stored 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 appeared again. Lepolo completed with 14 factors, six assists, and three rebounds. Even after the sport, VanDerveer solely wished to speak about how nicely 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 p.c of the workforce’s complete factors, Iriafen has lastly damaged out in her third yr as a Cardinal. Within the outing, she hit 100% of her photographs from the three-point line.
Following the victory and milestone, Stanford’s head coach donned a customized jacket made by Nike. On the jacket contains 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 workforce within the absence of Brink.
“I like that incontrovertible fact that Kiki [Iriafen] determined at present was the day to knock down her three and go back- to again on her three-point shot, mentioned VanDerveer. “Kiki had all All-American efficiency. She was implausible.” And in her press convention, coach by no means made it about one single participant. Like every other press convention, VanDerveer rapidly 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 turning 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 of 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.
In actual fact, “Coach Okay” shared some heartfelt phrases in a social media post on X. She additionally acquired tribute movies from Billie Jean King, and
“Tara, congratulations. What an incredible achievement. And what’s much more superb is the way wherein you achieved so many victories.
In response to Kyle Bonagura, of ESPN, ‘VanDerveer has extra wins than 355 of the 360 NCAA Divisional 1 Womens’ basketball packages.’ That stat screams how extremely achieved she is. Her dominance amid the evolution of ladies’s basketball is unimaginable.
She stands for excellence
With Maples Pavilion almost full, coach VanDerveer acquired a standing ovation and cheers from the group all the 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 normal and elevation for not solely the convention, however NCAA basketball as nicely.
With all of her accomplishments, she’s notoriously recognized for connecting together with her pupil 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 exhausting work and excellence that is set the usual for athletes and coaches to come back.
Passionate concerning the recreation she’s beloved for the reason that third grade, Tara VanDerveer will perpetually have an effect on the athletes she’s coached. Actually one of many humblest coaches we have ever seen, at 70, she nonetheless reveals 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 concentrate on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane at present resides in Connecticut/NYC space together with her Cat and Canine. SJ has her undergraduate diploma from the College of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in enterprise administration.
