The Stanford Cardinals enjoyed long years of success with Tara VanDerveer at the helm of the program. She’s the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history and has cemented her name in the pantheon of the most prolific coaches in basketball.
However, all good things must come to an end. The sun has set on her career as she calls it a day after 38 years of leading the Cardinals from the sideline.
Tara VanDerveer retires from being the Stanford Cardinals head coach after 38 years
The Associated Press writes that VanDerveer, who just overtook Mike Krzyzewski as the winningest coach in college basketball history with Idaho, Ohio State, and Stanford, is calling it a day with her basketball career to spend more time with her loved ones:
“Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career,” VanDerveer said in a statement. “I’ve been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world’s foremost institutions for nearly four decades.”
Her long-time assistant, Kate Paye, is going to take over as the team’s head coach and continue the work she’s done after taking over in 1985.
Looking back at VanDerveer’s legacy with Stanford
Tara VanDerveer wouldn’t have lasted long in her job with Stanford if she wasn’t good with what she did. From the 1987-88 season, her teams have always been a fixture on the NCAA tournament, with the 2019-20 season being the only exception due to the pandemic.
During that impressive stretch, they made the Four an impressive fourteen times and won the tournament twice. She’s done a great job in leading from the front, but she can now rest eeasy with players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers bringing much-needed recognition to the game that it wasn’t getting before.
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