PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Maples Pavilion was packed, and before the final horn sounded, Tara VanDerveer’s serenade began.
The inevitable became official when rookie forward Nunu Agara drove the ball downfield and OSU head coach Scott Rucker motioned for his Beavers not to foul. The crowd rose to its feet and roared loudly, making this historic moment tangible.
VanDerveer showed up to the gym on Sunday, tied with Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins in NCAA basketball history. She would be left alone at the top of the mountain.
Senior guard Hannah Jump waved and the serenade began. Time is up. The 65-56 win over OSU — victory No. 1,203 — went down in history. Kiki Iriafen scored a career-high 36 points, including the first two 3-pointers of her career. But her performance was just an appetizer, preparing the audience for the main event. VanDerveer helped Coach K become the winningest coach in college basketball history. The house Tara built to celebrate its architect arrived. The foundation is now a showcase.
The crowd began to chant enthusiastically: “Tara! Tara! Tara!”
But wait. Not so fast.
Tara loves the game of basketball and basketball loves her🫶🏀#gostanford pic.twitter.com/fiYsUd4ZiC
— StanfordWBB 🤓🏀 (@StanfordWBB) January 22, 2024
Cameron Brink barely had time to throw a bucket of Gatorade gold confetti at her coach (who looked relieved it wasn’t Gatorade). At a basketball party in Palo Alto, the number 1203, approximately 4 feet tall, can be set up as a prop. Before setting the stage, showing the video and delivering the speech. Vandeveer walked to the other end of the sideline and hugged Luc.
Because without consistency, without discipline from time immemorial, without humility from all ages, you can’t get to 1,203. She climbed the mountain by not skipping steps and making each repetition count. Even if you don’t reach the top, it’s worth deviating from your principles.
So Vanderveer took this line. She hugged the opposing assistant coach. She shook hands with each Beavers player and greeted them with a smile and kind words. It wasn’t until she had it all sorted that she let the spotlight focus on her.
Now the Ultimate Deflector must accept her flower.
“When I think of you, one word comes to mind,” Jennifer Azzi, one of the noted pillars of Cardinal basketball, said in a video played on the big screen. “This is excellence.”
This place should be called Tara Pavilion. She didn’t build it in 1969, and she didn’t renovate it in 2005. But she gave it life. She made it make sense. her team. her success. her heritage.
The last time a men’s team won here was in 1942. But that time has not yet come. It would be another 27 years before Maple Park reopened. The value here centers on the standards set for the women’s basketball program when VanDerveer took over in 1985. The outpouring of love was brewed over the years by teams and players who deserved their fate.
She doesn’t shy away from Stanford’s elite academic standards, which can be a barrier to recruiting, as it definitely fits her overall message of work ethic.
She won three national championships, 14 Final Four appearances, 15 first-team All-Americans, 25 conference championships, 30 WNBA players and countless moments.
and 1,203 wins.
Any Mount Rushmore basketball coach must have bangs.
deeper
From piano lessons to swimming, Tara VanDerveer’s success comes from constant learning
“We all know that beyond the statistics,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in the tribute video, “beyond the wins and losses and everything else, there’s the impact you had on a lot of young people. .”
The meaning of this moment is energy. People present. Condoleezza Rice. Andrew Luck.Chini Ogwumake. Azzi flew in with two children, ages 6 and 3, which may be as impressive as becoming Stanford’s first Naismith National Player of the Year in 1990.
“I don’t usually make gaffes,” she told fans. “But it’s very impressive. All these guys are here. All the previous players are back.”
A large number of former players attended the celebrations. The background vocals are provided by Cardinal Ocean fans, many of whom have spent years watching Vanderveer shape young women while achieving victory.
Everyone here knows that this celebration belongs in this place. This venue, this audience, this central figure all deserve attention. This bottleneck is fundamental for the sport to thrive at the next level.
Delivered today by A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley and Sabrina Ionescu, among others Torch, gets some spark from this lively basketball center nestled in a manicured intellectual flourishing grove. The story of women’s basketball cannot be told without Stanford women’s basketball. The name Tara VanDerveer is an adjective for her quality.
Former Stanford QB Andrew Luck talks about Tara with his two daughters: “I’m just a fan. She’s part of what makes this place so special. I think anyone in any profession can learn from that A lot of things, especially athletically and how she does it. I know I’m learning from her.”
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) January 22, 2024
Nike released a white bomber jacket with red markings to commemorate Vanderveer’s achievement. Every win. The athletic 70-year-old puts on this jacket and is still fit enough to jump off the bench and light a fire for the 20-somethings. Another 500 wins doesn’t look out of the question for her.
“My life is incredible,” Vanderveer said on the stage set up for her. “I don’t want anything. What I have is right here.”
The stage is named for Ros Gold-Onwude, who played for Vanderveer for five seasons, appeared in three Final Four games and built a reputation on defense. She is now a versatile announcer for ESPN and hosts festivities. She conducted a Q&A with Azzi and Ogwumike.
A video played by Maples included praise from Billie Jean King, Coach K, Staley and 2016 WNBA MVP Nikka Ogwumike. But Lisa Leslie crashed the Stanford party and declared herself Vanderveer’s favorite. USC star Leslie competed in the 1996 Olympics under VanDerveer, playing alongside Sheryl Swoopes, Teresa Edwards, Basketball stars including Rebecca Lobo and Staley attended the game. VanDerveer took a year off from Stanford University to coach the team, which went 52-0 in exhibition tours and laid the foundation for the U.S. women’s basketball team.
Later in 1996, the American Basketball League was formed as the first women’s professional basketball league in the United States. In 1997, the WNBA followed suit.
“I’m not perfect,” Vanderveer said. “I never claim to be perfect. We talk about winning, but we also lose a lot.”
Played 267 games in 45 seasons. But her point is true. An 81.8% match winning percentage isn’t the only reason she deserves this moment. That’s because what Stanford represents in women’s basketball is anchored by her thick arms and ancient faith. Those celebrating her Sunday spoke not of her trove of triumphs but of her principles and criminal ways.
“You personally impacted my life and the way I move,” Leslie says in the video. “I always remember the repetition of mistakes…”
Leslie pointed to Chiney Ogwumike, who completed the last part of Vanderveer’s truism:
“Shows lack of intelligence.”
This is no disrespect to Roscoe Maples, who donated $1.7 million to build the original home of the Stanford University basketball team.
But this is Tara’s home. She built it. She persisted. And, as the winningest college basketball coach, she deserves to be named after her.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
