Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who got her start at Idaho, becomes college basketball’s winningest coach
From staff and wire reports
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Tara VanDerveer has been doused in confetti before, but never quite like this.
VanDerveer became college basketball’s winningest coach on Sunday, after the Cardinal beat visiting Oregon State 65-56 to secure VanDerveer’s 1,203rd win.
Stanford erected a stage to center court, in front of a near-capacity crowd at Maples Pavilion with lighted numbers 1-2-0-3 in the background, and after nearly 70 minutes of celebration, rained gold confetti atop their record-setting coach.
Many of the school’s athletic elite stood in both end zones to cheer VanDerveer. Others, including Billie Jean King and Steve Kerr, congratulated VanDerveer during a video shown on the big screen.
“I’m very appreciative of all the great players I’ve coached and the great places I’ve been and the attention this brought to women’s basketball,” VanDerveer said. “I’m not always really comfortable in the limelight, but I understand that that kind of goes with the job.”
VanDerveer, 70, played collegiately at Albany (1971-72) and Indiana (1972-75), before turning to coaching. She accepted the head job at Idaho in 1978, leading the Vandals to a 42-14 record in two seasons, including an appearance in the AIAW Tournament – the precursor to the NCAA Tournament.
VanDerveer left to become the head coach of Ohio State in 1980, spending five seasons with the Buckeyes until going to Stanford, where she has served since. A 2011 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, VanDerveer has led Stanford to three NCAA Tournament championships (1990, 1992 and 2021) and 13 Final Fours.
VanDerveer eclipsed former Duke coach Mike Kryzyzewski’s record, which he held since 2019. Krzyzewski issued a statement congratulating VanDerveer after the game.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball. This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy,” Krzyzewski said. “More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor.
“Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”
VanDerveer’s record is hardly ironclad. She holds a seven-game lead over Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, 69, the third-winningest NCAA basketball coach.
Wins will keep piling up for both VanDerveer and Auriemma as long as they’re in charge.
Stanford played Sunday’s game without three-time all-conference forward Cameron Brink, who sustained a leg injury during Friday’s win over Oregon. But Stanford is hardly all Brink, as Kiki Iriafen displayed, hitting 16 of 26 shots for a career-high 36 points.
“I told our team, I said, ‘This is what feels like winning a national championship,’” VanDerveer said. “You’re just so excited and you’re so happy. I would like to build on this and get better.”
The No. 8 Cardinal (17-2, 6-1 Pac-12) are atop the conference standings.