Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer becomes NCAA’s winningest basketball coach

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer made NCAA history on Sunday night, earning her 1,203rd career victory to become the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history.

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The Stanford women’s basketball team made it possible with a 65-56 victory against Oregon State at Maples Pavilion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. VanDerveer passed former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who finished his 42-year coaching career in 2019 with 1,202 wins, according to ESPN.

“I’m very appreciative of all the great players I’ve coached and the great places I’ve been and the attention this brought to women’s basketball,” VanDerveer told reporters after the game. “I’m not always really comfortable in the limelight, but I understand that that kind of goes with the job.”

The milestone victory improved No. 8 Stanford to 17-2 on the season.

VanDerveer, 70, is in her 38th season at Stanford, ESPN reported. She previously coached at Idaho (1978-80) and Ohio State (1980-85).

During her time as Stanford’s coach, VanDerveer, a five-time national coach of the year, led the Cardinal to NCAA titles in 1990, 1992 and 2021. She has guided Stanford to 34 berths in the NCAA tournament. VanDerveer is also the only coach in NCAA history to win national titles 30 seasons apart, the Chronicle reported.

Krzyzewski congratulated VanDerveer in a statement issued by Duke University.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball,” Krzyzewski said. “This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy. More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

Approximately 30 of VanDerveer’s former players were among the 7,022 fans in attendance during Sunday’s game, according to ESPN.

VanDerveer has long deflected any attention given her, and she did the same on Sunday, focusing on her players’ efforts, the Chronicle reported.

“I would I probably be lying if I said that I haven’t enjoyed some of the journey of it,” VanDerveer told reporters. “I mean, obviously just today was just wonderful, but I just like the regular day. I like just let’s come to the gym. Let’s work on practice. Let’s get ready for the next team.”

That will come on Friday at Arizona State.

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