Four decades of excellence will officially be honored at Maples Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.
Tara VanDerveer, a name without peer in college athletics, will have her name affixed to the Maples court prior to the Stanford women’s basketball game against Gonzaga at noon on Sunday. VanDerveer, who coached Stanford from 1985-2024 with a one-year break to coach the United States Olympic women’s basketball team in 1996, retired as the all-time coaching wins leader (1,216) in NCAA Division I basketball.
“That’s going to be awesome,” new Stanford head coach Kate Paye said of the court unveiling. “And I think the best way that we can honor her is to play extremely hard, extremely well on Sunday.”
Former longtime Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer, center, cheers with former Stanford player Cameron Brink, top left, during their NCAA game against Le Moyne at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Paye played for VanDerveer on Stanford’s 1992 national championship team and coached under her for 17 years on the Cardinal bench. She greeted VanDerveer before her first game in charge on Monday against Le Moyne and welcomed VanDerveer into the postgame locker room after earning her first win.
VanDerveer, who won three national championships at Stanford, is still a constant presence for the Cardinal, even if she isn’t around every day anymore. Starting on Sunday, her daily presence will be felt in a tangible way even if she isn’t physically in the building.
“There’s nobody cheering harder for our team than Tara,” Paye said after the win over Le Moyne. “It was great to have her in the locker room after, and it’s really, really special.”
VanDerveer transformed Stanford into the preeminent West Coast women’s basketball powerhouse during her tenure. The Cardinal made 14 Final Fours with her in charge, plus a 15th when assistants Amy Tucker and Marianne Stanley Staley co-led Stanford during VanDerveer’s hiatus in 1995-96.
Starting in 1987-88, VanDerveer’s third season, Stanford made the NCAA Tournament every season in which it was held. She passed former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins in college basketball history last January and still holds the record, although UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma entered the season three wins behind VanDerveer.
VanDerveer coached a storied lineage of Cardinal All-Americans. The tradition began with point guard Jennifer Azzi, the star of Stanford’s 1990 national title team, and continued with Sonja Henning, Val Whiting, Kate Starbird, Kristin Folkl, Nicole Powell, Candice Wiggins, Jayne Appel, Jeanette Pohlen, Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Alanna Smith, Kiana Williams, Haley Jones and Cameron Brink.
The school announced the honor in May, exactly a month after VanDerveer announced her retirement following her 38th season as the Cardinal head coach.
An assistant coaching endowment fund in VanDerveer’s name was also established last spring as a gift from longtime Stanford benefactors Tashia and John Morgridge.
Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer coaches her team against Oregon during an NCAA basketball game at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
“I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion,” VanDerveer said in a release issued by the school in May. “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”
Stanford President Richard Saller said in the school announcement that VanDerveer’s “dedication to ensuring high academic and athletic standards drove our women’s basketball program to new heights. Tara represents the best of Stanford: unsurpassed excellence with deep humility.”
“We will be pleased to name the court in her honor and hope that it serves as a constant reminder for Cardinal student-athletes of her passion, care and grace.”
In 45 years as a head coach at Idaho (1978-80), Ohio State (1980-85) and Stanford (1985-95, 1996-2024), VanDerveer amassed an NCAA-record 1,216 victories. In 38 seasons at Stanford, she led the Cardinal to three NCAA championships – 1990, 1992, and 2021 – and 14 Final Fours.