It’s not possible to inform the story of the previous 4 a long time of faculty basketball with out Tara VanDerveer. The Stanford icon, USA Basketball coach, and general standard-bearer for West Coast basketball is an integral character within the development of the ladies’s sport since Title IX. And with two extra wins, VanDerveer will stand alone because the winningest coach in faculty, males’s or ladies’s, passing former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
GO DEEPER
The summer time of solitude that sustained a training icon
In anticipation of her potential record-breaking win this weekend, we’ll publish tales this week that concentrate on her esteemed profession. Here’s a look again at a few of VanDerveer’s monumental victories:
1. Win No. 1
Dec. 1, 1978: Idaho 70, Northern Montana 68 (OT)
Earlier than win No. 1,201 there was win No. 1. As the pinnacle coach of Idaho, VanDerveer confronted Northern Montana School (now often called Montana State-Northern) in her opening sport. It was this system’s fifth season of existence — the Vandals didn’t even belong to a convention but — they usually had tapped a 25-year-old who had been an Ohio State assistant for 2 seasons to steer them.
Idaho was up with one possession to play, however the Vandals dedicated a foul and went to additional time, the place they edged out the Polar Bears by two. As VanDerveer instructed the Stanford Day by day in 2020, “Earlier than we went into additional time, we had been up three and there’s like 10 seconds left within the sport or one thing. I stated, ‘OK you guys look, we obtained this sport, simply don’t foul.’ We went out, the lady hit the shot, and we fouled her and I stated, ‘That is going to be onerous.’ I’m pondering, ‘Boy, this teaching factor will not be going to be simple.’”
Tara VanDerveer –
Winningest Coach in Ladies’s School Basketball
1978-80 Idaho Ladies’s Basketball Head Coach
3 NCAA Championships
4 NCAA Last 4 Appearances
16 NCAA Event AppearancesTara is our first 50 for 50 honoree this week as we rejoice 50 years of #TitleIX pic.twitter.com/GeeQ8oLS7a
— Idaho Vandals (@Idaho_Vandals) March 8, 2023
2. Sellout crowd, momentous win in Iowa
Feb. 3, 1985: Ohio State 56, Iowa 47
After two seasons at Idaho, together with a 25-6 report in 12 months 2, VanDerveer returned to Columbus as the pinnacle coach. She led the Buckeyes to the inaugural NCAA Event in 1982 and returned to the Large Dance in 1984, after they landed within the AP Prime 25 for the primary time in her tenure.
En path to a fourth straight Large Ten title, Ohio State performed at Iowa — then coached by C. Vivian Stringer — close to the tip of convention play. In what would grow to be a precursor for record-breaking crowds within the state a long time later, the groups performed in entrance of twenty-two,157 individuals at Carver-Hawkeye Area. That obliterated the earlier attendance report for an NCAA ladies’s basketball sport of 10,622 set two years earlier. Crew officers initially listed the attendance at 18,500, reportedly to keep away from bother with the hearth marshals as a result of the world’s capability was 15,450; followers even needed to stand within the aisles throughout the sport.
3. Signing a game-changer
1986: Stanford indicators Jennifer Azzi
VanDerveer returned to the West after 5 seasons with the Buckeyes to helm a Stanford group that had gone 9-19 the season earlier than. Her first merchandise of enterprise was to recruit Jennifer Azzi, a degree guard from Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Cardinal had been so dangerous that VanDerveer instructed Sports activities Illustrated she didn’t let Azzi watch any practices or sport movie throughout her recruitment, however Stanford’s tutorial pedigree helped persuade Azzi to comply with her to the Pacific coast and grow to be this system’s first true star.
T » B » T #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/ZolRKZn5kl
— Stanford WBB 🤓🏀 (@StanfordWBB) March 17, 2016
Azzi helped lead the Cardinal to the NCAA Event in 1988 as a sophomore, beginning a streak of appearances that continues to at the present time. She was the Pac-10 participant of the 12 months as a junior when Stanford made the Elite Eight after which the nationwide participant of the 12 months in 1990 when the Cardinal received their first nationwide championship. Azzi stays this system’s all-time chief in 3-point proportion, ranks second in complete assists and locations third in steals. The road of greats which have come by way of Palo Alto, together with Sonja Henning, Val Whiting, Kate Starbird, Candice Wiggins, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, main as much as Cameron Brink begins with Azzi. She was VanDerveer’s greatest off-court win.
4. Reaching the top
April 4, 1990: Stanford 88, Auburn 80
VanDerveer received her first nationwide championship at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Area, 20 minutes away from the place Azzi performed highschool basketball. The Cardinal had been pretty dominant all through the match, successful their 5 video games by a median of 15 factors. The title sport was extra back-and-forth, as they went up by 11 early, then trailed by 11 later within the first half. It took a superlative capturing efficiency from Katy Steding, who hit six 3-pointers to defeat Auburn, sending the Tigers to their third-straight defeat within the championship sport.
In her twelfth season as a head coach, VanDerveer had reached the top and established Stanford as a nationwide powerhouse, solely the sixth group to ever win an NCAA title. Oddly sufficient, the Cardinal by no means earned a No. 1 AP ballot rating throughout the season, however that will come quickly sufficient. Regardless that Azzi was graduating, Henning and Whiting remained to hold the torch.
5. Turning into an icon
April 5, 1992: Stanford 78, Western Kentucky 62
One title put VanDerveer on the map. Two titles made her an icon. Within the 30-plus years since this sport, solely 4 extra packages have received a number of championships (UConn, Notre Dame, Baylor and South Carolina), and people groups’ coaches have grow to be legends in their very own proper.
The 1992 season was the third consecutive Last 4 journey for the Cardinal, however they needed to change three starters from the earlier season. Even so, they went 30-3 and dominated Western Kentucky within the remaining, led by freshman Rachel Hemmer’s 18 factors and 15 rebounds. Their hardest matchup got here within the Last 4 after they held on 66-65 towards Daybreak Staley and Virginia.
6. Taking down Tennessee
Dec. 15, 1996: Stanford 82, Tennessee 65
VanDerveer took the 1995-1996 season off to teach Crew USA main as much as the 1996 Summer season Olympics in Atlanta, and this system continued to thrive in her absence. The mix of Marianne Stanley and Amy Tucker led Stanford to an undefeated Pac-10 report and one other journey to the Last 4. Nonetheless, VanDerveer’s return resulted in one other milestone.
The Woman Vols had received the nationwide title the earlier season — what would find yourself being the primary of a three-peat — and 4 complete championships up to now decade. They had been the gold commonplace of the game below Pat Summitt, and Stanford had but to beat them on their house court docket in Thompson-Boling Area, together with a 36-point defeat in Knoxville two years prior. Not this time. The Cardinal went in because the nation’s No. 1 group and took care of No. 5 Tennessee. Starbird was the group’s excessive scorer with 26 factors, outdueling Tamika Catchings, who had 24 on 11-of-28 capturing. The groups each made the Last 4 that 12 months, however Stanford misplaced within the semifinal earlier than a possible rematch within the title sport.
This was a short-lived peak for the Cardinal, who wouldn’t win at Tennessee once more till 2012 regardless of taking part in there each different 12 months.
VanDerveer discovered the method for consistency within the 2008 season. (Matt Marriott / NCAA Photographs by way of Getty Photographs)
7. Ending a drought
March 31, 2008: Stanford 98, Maryland 87
VanDerveer and Stanford entered this match after a 10-season Last 4 drought. The Cardinal had received or tied for the PAC-10 title in eight of these years, however they weren’t experiencing the NCAA Event success to which that they had grown accustomed. The drought lastly led to 2008, because the Candice Wiggins-led squad broke by way of towards Maryland. Wiggins scored 41 factors within the win, making it to the nationwide semifinals as a senior after two earlier losses within the Elite Eight. This was a return to the mountaintop for VanDerveer, as Stanford would advance to the Last 4 every of the subsequent 4 seasons.
8. UConn streak-busters
Dec. 30, 2010: Stanford 71, Connecticut 59
Connecticut got here into Maples Pavilion having received 90 video games in a row, together with two nationwide championships. Stanford emphatically put an finish to what was then the longest successful streak in NCAA historical past. Level guard Jeanette Pohlen had 31 factors and 6 assists because the Cardinal exacted minor revenge for dropping within the 2010 nationwide championship. They ended up bookending UConn’s streak, having handed the Huskies their most up-to-date loss within the 2008 Last 4.
9. T-Dawg wins once more
Dec. 16, 2020: Stanford 104, Pacific 61
VanDerveer grew to become the winningest coach in ladies’s faculty basketball historical past, passing Summitt along with her 1,099th win, all however 176 coming at Stanford. The pandemic meant no followers had been in attendance for her milestone, however the gamers offered VanDerveer with a swim jacket that learn “T-Dawg” after the ultimate buzzer to mark the event. Cameron Brink, who was a freshman on that roster, instructed The Athletic that the Cardinal have one thing “humorous” deliberate for the upcoming report.
VanDerveer holds the trophy after beating Arizona for an additional nationwide championship. (Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports activities)
10. Reaching elite standing
April 4, 2021: Stanford 54, Arizona 53
Greater than three a long time after successful her first nationwide championship, VanDerveer collected her third, becoming a member of a listing that features solely Summitt, Geno Auriemma and Kim Mulkey. This one had the additional significance of that includes one other PAC-12 group (Arizona) within the title sport. After years of carrying the convention on their again, the Cardinal had some West Coast firm within the remaining weekend and remaining sport of the season.
(Prime picture of Tara VanDerveer: Jack Dempsey / NCAA Photographs by way of Getty Photographs)
