PALO ALTO, California. — The packed house at Maples Pavilion didn’t wait for the last horn to begin Tara VanDerveer’s serenade.
As freshman forward Nunu Agara dribbled into the frontcourt and Oregon State coach Scott Rueck motioned for his Beavers not to foul, what was inevitable was becoming official. The crowd rose to its feet, roaring loud enough to make this historic occasion tangible.
VanDerveer hit the gym Sunday alongside Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins in NCAA basketball history. She would be left alone at the top.
Senior guard Hannah Jump motioned to begin the serenade. Time out. The 65-56 win over Oregon State – win No. 1,203 – was in the record books. Kiki Iriafen scored a career-high 36 points, including the first two 3-pointers of his career. But his performance was just the appetizer, lathering up the crowd for the main event. VanDerveer had nominated Coach K to become the winningest coach in college basketball. It was time for the house that Tara built to celebrate her architect. The foundation was now the showcase.
The crowd began to chant fervently: “Ta-ra! Tare! Tare!”
But wait. Not so fast.
Tara loves the game of basketball and this loves her 🫶🏀#ViaStanford pic.twitter.com/fiYsUd4ZiC
— Stanford WBB 🤓🏀 (@StanfordWBB) January 22, 2024
Before Cameron Brink could dump a bucket of gold Gatorade confetti on his coach (who looked relieved that it wasn’t Gatorade). Before the approximate numbers of 4 feet, 1203, could be set up as props at this hoop party in Palo Alto. Before you could set up the stage, play videos and give speeches. VanDerveer walked to the other end of the sideline and hugged Rueck.
Because 1,203 cannot be reached without coherence, without discipline born from ancient times, without humility relevant in every era. He climbed this mountain without skipping steps, making the most of every repetition. Even reaching the summit isn’t worthy of enjoyment on principle.
Then VanDerveer walked the line. He hugged opposing assistant coaches. He shook hands with all the Beavers players, greeting them with a smile and a kind word. It was only when she had surpassed them all that she would allow the spotlight of the occasion to focus on her.
Now the final deflector had to accept its flowers.
“When I think of you, one word comes to mind,” Jennifer Azzi, one of Cardinal basketball’s famed mainstays, said in a video played on the big scoreboard. “And that is excellence.”
This place should be called Tara Pavilion. He didn’t build it with his own hands in 1969. He didn’t renovate it in 2005. But he gave it life. It made it relevant. His teams. His success. Its tradition.
The last time the men’s team brought a championship here was 1942. But it hadn’t arrived here yet. Maples won’t open for another 27 years. The value of this place centers on the standard set by the women’s basketball program when VanDerveer took over in 1985. The outpouring of love has been produced by years of affinity-worthy teams and players.
She hasn’t shied away from Stanford’s elite academic standards, which can be a barrier to recruiting, because it fits perfectly with her holistic message of work ethic.
She earned three national titles, 14 Final Fours, 15 first-team All-Americans, 25 conference championships, 30 WNBA players and countless moments.
And 1,203 victories.
Any Mount Rushmore of basketball coaches must include a bob with bangs.
GO DEEPER
From piano lessons to swimming, Tara VanDerveer’s success is rooted in continuous learning
“We all know that beyond the statistics,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in the tribute video, “beyond the wins and losses and everything else, there’s the impact you made about so many young lives.”
The meaning of this moment was present in the energy. In who was present. Condoleezza Rice. Andrea Fortuna. Chiney Ogwumike. Azzi arrived with two children, 6 and 3, who could be as impressive as Naismith becoming Stanford’s first National Player of the Year in 1990.
“I’m usually not speechless,” he said, addressing fans. “But it’s pretty impressive. All these people here. All the former players coming back.”
A wave of former players joined the celebrations. Background vocals were provided by the sea of fans in cardinal red, many of whom have spent years watching VanDerveer mold young women while he racked up wins.
What everyone here knows is that this celebration belongs here. This place, this audience, this central figure are worthy of this spotlight. This area is crucial to the sport which is thriving at new levels.
The torch carried today by the likes of A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley and Sabrina Ionescu, drew some of its spark from this vibrant basketball hub nestled in these manicured woods of intellectual prosperity. The story of women’s basketball cannot be told without Stanford women’s basketball. And the name Tara VanDerveer is an adjective for the quality of her.
Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, here with two daughters, on Tara: “I’m just a fan. She’s part of what makes a place like this so special. I think there are so many lessons to be learned from anyone in any profession, especially in sports and the way she does it. I know I’m learning from her.”
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) January 22, 2024
Nike commemorated VanDerveer’s accomplishment with a white bomber jacket plastered with red tally marks. One for every victory. The 70-year-old sportsman, still fit enough to jump off the bench and light a fire among the 20-year-olds, donned the jacket. It seemed that racking up another 500 wins wasn’t out of the question.
“I’ve had such an incredible life,” VanDerveer said on a stage erected as his pedestal. “I don’t miss anything. What I have is right here.”
The stage was christened by Ros Gold-Onwude, who played five seasons for VanDerveer, appeared in three Final Fours and built a reputation as a defender. She is now a versatile broadcaster for ESPN and hosted the festivities. He did a question and answer session with Azzi and Ogwumike.
A video played at Maples included praise from Billie Jean King, Coach K, Staley and 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike. But it was Lisa Leslie who crashed the Stanford party to declare herself VanDerveer’s favorite. Leslie, the USC star, played with VanDerveer in the 1996 Olympics, along with such basketball royalty as Sheryl Swoopes, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo and Staley. VanDerveer took a year off from Stanford to coach this team on a 52-0 exhibition tour that laid the foundation for women’s basketball in America.
Later in 1996, the American Basketball League was launched as the nation’s first women’s professional basketball league. The WNBA followed in 1997.
“I’m not perfect,” VanDerveer said. “I never claimed to be perfect. “We’re talking about victories, but we also lost a lot.”
267 games in 45 seasons. But his point is real. Winning 81.8% of his games isn’t the only reason she’s worthy of this moment. It’s because of the caliber that Stanford represented in women’s basketball, buoyed by her strong arms and vintage conviction. Those who celebrated her Sunday did not talk about her treasure chest of victories but about her principles and her modus operandi.
“You have personally helped impact my life and the way I move,” Leslie said in the video. “I always remember that repetition of the mistake…”
Leslie pointed to Chiney Ogwumike, who concluded the last part of VanDerveer’s truism:
“It shows a lack of intelligence.”
No disrespect to Roscoe Maples, whose $1.7 million donation led to the construction of the original home of Stanford Hoops.
But this is Tara’s house. She built it. She supported him. And, as the winningest college basketball coach, she deserves to have her named after her.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)