Tara VanDerveer nearly quit coaching 10 years ago until longtime Stanford supporter John Arrillaga asked her to seriously reconsider and insisted she take a summer off.
What did the Hall of Fame coach do? She asked. She stuck to it. And she enjoyed her much-needed vacation during July and August, sailing, water skiing, and not playing basketball.
That inspired VanDerveer to keep going, never expecting the day he would truly step away from his high-pressure daily job of recruiting, film research, and strategy planning.
“I never thought it would happen to me,” she said Wednesday, as the winningest coach in basketball history discussed his decision to retire following the school's announcement Tuesday night. “I thought I might fall over on the bench because I love it, love it, love it.”
Vanderveer, 70 years old and with 1,216 career wins over 45 years at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford, will likely remain involved in some capacity. Her top assistant coach and former player Kate Pay is poised to take over the program. Once Pei's contract is finalized, a press conference will be held next week.
Vanderveer plays a game of bridge on the computer every day with his 96-year-old mother, Rita, and plans to “start learning to get better” to be more competitive.
“I think it's about just wanting to do what you want to do in life and understanding that this is not a rehearsal, this is your real life,” VanDerveer said of her thought process when making decisions. Told. “…I don't want to be a hermit or a failure. Coaching is hard work, but it's incredibly rewarding.
“There's no better job than this. I've had a really fascinating life, and I'm very lucky.”
And she made it clear that she has no plans to step down immediately due to the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference and Stanford's move to the ACC. VanDerveer can’t wait to sit with the fans next season and watch what will continue to be a Stanford team. She also sent a message of encouragement to her fans.
Emotional and thoughtful about all of her talented teams and dynamite players over the decades, she takes the time to explain how her parents (father Dunbar never thought his daughter would be on the path to success as a coach). He expressed his gratitude to everyone, from those who were not involved in the tournament to coaches from around the country and around the country. To the Pac-12 and its staff, former star players like Jennifer Azzi, she was happy to take a chance at a school across the country when she could have stayed home and played at the University of Tennessee.
Azzi led the Cardinal to the first of three NCAA championships in 1990, and VanDerveer's teams also won in 1992 and 2021.
But VanDerveer made sure to mention the many other special moments during the season other than cutting down the nets at the end of the season and how the student-athletes came together and played for each other.
“There are so many stories about how the people I've coached have inspired me, influenced me, inspired me,” she said. “I learned so much from each player. I'm forever grateful to have them in my life. I'm extremely proud of the Stanford Sisterhood. …In tough games, Sisterhood is the key to victory.”
VanDerveer couldn't be happier about the current state of women's basketball, with interest in women's basketball at an all-time high after this year's NCAA Tournament.
“It's great to see the support for women's basketball. We've just scratched the surface,” she said.
And the moment 10 years ago when she decided to call it a career? Vanderveer said she actually thought about this a total of about 20 times since she arrived at Stanford in 1985.
Rather, this is where she forged lifelong friendships. Ms. VanDerveer is a “lifelong learner” who continues to adapt along the way, values the “journey” as she has always called it, and loves to observe and emulate how others have succeeded. It continued to be.
And when it came to caring for those around her, she always kept in mind:
“I wanted to be a coach that I wanted to play with,” she said. “Someone who works hard to give our team the best chance of success, and someone who shows empathy and compassion throughout the game of basketball.”
There is no denying that she did all these things with all her heart and soul.
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