Okay, so, I was reading up on this amazing coach, Tara VanDerveer. You know, the one who just retired from Stanford? What a legend! Let me tell you, this got me down a rabbit hole of stats and stories, and I just had to share my little adventure with you all.
First, I started by looking at her career wins. I mean, 1,216 victories? That’s insane! That’s an NCAA record, people! So I dug deeper. She coached at Idaho, then Ohio State, and finally settled at Stanford. It’s like she found her basketball home there.
- I started looking for her first coaching position, which was at Idaho, from 1978 to 1980.
- Then, I read that she moved to Ohio State, where she coached for 5 years.
- Finally, I found her longest position at Stanford, starting in 1985.
Then I focused on her time at Stanford. Thirty-eight seasons! In that time, she led the team to three NCAA championships. Let me repeat that, three! 1990, 1992, and 2021. Plus, they made it to the Final Four fourteen times. Fourteen! I started picturing all those games, the excitement, the pressure… it must have been incredible.
Stanford Highlights
- Won the NCAA championship in 1990. A great start!
- Repeated the feat in 1992. Back-to-back wins are so rare!
- After a long break, she led them to victory again in 2021. What a comeback!
- Reached the Final Four an amazing 14 times. Consistency is key!
So, after reading all this, I decided to check out who’s taking over. Turns out, it’s Kate Paye, who’s also a Stanford alum and was part of two of those national championships. Seems like Stanford likes to keep it in the family! I wondered if she could continue Tara’s success. I hope she does!
I also found this quote about her being a “consummate student of the game.” That really stuck with me. It’s like she was always learning, always improving. And apparently, her influence reached way beyond Stanford. Everyone was watching and learning from her.
I even stumbled upon a discussion from a 2021 conference, which apparently had never been made public before. It felt like finding a hidden gem! And then I remembered a game from 2010, where Stanford beat South Carolina 70-32. I thought, “Wow, she really dominated that game!”
By the end of my little research session, I was just in awe. Tara VanDerveer, a legend from Schenectady, leaving behind an incredible legacy. It’s like the end of an era, you know? I was so immersed in her story that I felt I had lived those games with her.
And that’s where I’ll leave you, at the end of my Tara VanDerveer journey. What a story, huh?
