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Tara VanDerveer
tarahoop@stanford.edu

 

In a storied 25-year coaching career, Tara VanDerveer has established herself as one of the top coaches in the history of both collegiate and international women's basketball.

VanDerveer's enormous contributions to the sport were recognized in April 2002, as she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.

VanDerveer, who was the 2003 Pac-10 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year honors, has accumulated an impressive 602-168 (.782) record in 25 years of collegiate coaching. VanDerveer, who enters the 2004-05 campaign with the third highest career winning percentage among active Division I women's basketball coaches, has won two NCAA Championships and 16 conference titles, in addition to 19 career post-season appearances.

In 17 years as the head coach of the Stanford women's basketball program, she is an amazing 450-117 (.794). During her tenure on The Farm, she has led the Cardinal to two NCAA Championships, five NCAA Final Four appearances, 11 Pacific-10 Conference titles and 16 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Cardinal advanced to the Elite Eight for the eighth time in VanDerveer's career.

VanDerveer's contributions to the sport of women's basketball reach far outside the collegiate world. She became internationally known in 1996 when she guided the United States Olympic Women's Basketball Team to the gold medal in Atlanta. VanDerveer led the National/Olympic team, which included Stanford products Jennifer Azzi and Katy Steding, to an incredible 60-0 record from 1995-1996. In all, VanDerveer has compiled an 88-8 (.917) record, including four gold medals, in eight head coaching stints with USA Basketball.

The coaching great paved the way for many more Stanford milestones in 2001 by signing a multi-year contract extension that will keep her on The Farm through March 31, 2007.

"I am thrilled to extend my affiliation with Stanford University," VanDerveer said. "I am very excited about the things we have been able to accomplish, and look forward to the very bright future ahead."

VanDerveer at Stanford
VanDerveer, who was named the third women's basketball coach in Stanford University history on May 7, 1985, has guided the Cardinal to a 450-117 (.794) record in 18 seasons, including a 256-50 (.837) record in Pac-10 play.

Under her leadership, Stanford has captured two NCAA Titles and made five Final Four appearances. Additionally, her teams have reached the Elite Eight eight times and the Final Four on five occasions. Since 1987-88, VanDerveer's teams are 40-15 (.727) in NCAA Tournament play. The Cardinal has also won 30 or more games five times and 20 or more games 14 times under VanDerveer's guidance.

VanDerveer's teams have also compiled a 247-28 (.898) home record during her tenure, and have posted six perfect seasons at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford teams have been dominant in both the Pac-10 and nationally, as evident by VanDerveer's numerous awards. She is a three-time National Coach of the Year (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90) and District Coach of the Year (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90), and has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year on six occasions (1988-89, 1989-90, 1994-95, 1996-97, 2001-02, 2002-03). Additionally, VanDerveer earned Northern California Women's Intercollegiate Coach of the Year honors five times in a six-year span in the late 80's and early 90's (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1992-93).

Regarded as one of the nation's best recruiters, VanDerveer and her staff routinely bring top classes to The Farm. The Stanford staff brought in the likes of Jennifer Azzi and Kate Starbird, both of whom won women's basketball's highest individual honor - the James Naismith National Player of the Year Award (Azzi 1989-90; Starbird 1996-97) - as well as First-Team Kodak All-Americans Nicole Powell (2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04), Kristin Folkl (1997-98), Sonja Henning (1990-91) and Val Whiting (1991-92, 1992-93). Overall, VanDerveer has guided her players to two Naismith Player of the Year honors, 11 Kodak First-Team All-America honors, nine Pac-10 Player of the Year awards, 35 First-Team All-Pac-10 selections and 30 appointments to USA Basketball teams.

VanDerveer's alumnae have also made their mark on the professional level in both the WNBA and the ABL. In 2001, Stanford had a league-high 10 players on WNBA rosters. That dominating trend stretches back to 1996, when Stanford had nine players on opening day rosters in the ABL's inaugural season, the most of any institution.

NCAA Champions
VanDerveer earned her first NCAA Championship in 1989-90, after the Cardinal won its first 20 games en route to a 32-1 overall mark. Stanford set more than 100 school, Pac-10 and NCAA postseason records during that campaign. After defeating Mississippi and Arkansas in the NCAA West Regional at Maples Pavilion, the Cardinal continued to roll with a 75-66 win over Virginia in the semifinals and an 88-81 victory over Auburn in the final to capture its first-ever NCAA title.

The Cardinal earned its second championship in 1991-92, despite the loss of three First-Team All-Pac-10 players (Sonja Henning, Trisha Stevens and Julie Zeilstra) from the previous season. The Cardinal won its first 10 games, finished 15-3 in conference play to win its fourth straight Pac-10 title, and went into the NCAA Tournament on an upswing behind the play of Kodak First-Team All-American Val Whiting. Stanford defeated Western Kentucky, 78-62, in the championship game to end the season with its second national title in three years and a 30-3 record.

Prior to Stanford
Prior to her arrival at Stanford, VanDerveer led Ohio State to national prominence from 1980-85, as the Buckeyes went 110-37 (.748) overall and 55-5 (.917) in the Big Ten during her tenure.

During that time, the Buckeyes won four Big Ten Championships (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85), compiled four consecutive 20-win seasons and made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1981-82, 1983-84, 1984-85). In 1984-85, Ohio State finished seventh in the national rankings and fell to eventual national champion Old Dominion by four points in the East Regional Final. She was twice named Big Ten Coach of the Year (1983-84, 1984-85) during her tenure in Columbus.

Before Ohio State, VanDerveer served as head coach at the University of Idaho. In two seasons in Moscow (1978-79, 1979-80), she brought unprecedented success to Vandal women's basketball. The Vandals went 42-14 in her two seasons and advanced to the AIAW Tournament (predecessor to the NCAA Tournament) in 1980.

Personal
VanDerveer is a 1975 graduate of Indiana University, where she was a Dean's List scholar for three years and a sociology major. As an athlete at Indiana, VanDerveer held one of the starting guard positions for three years on the women's basketball team. For her efforts at Indiana and her accomplishments after leaving the Hoosiers, VanDerveer was inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame in 1995.

In addition to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and Indiana University Hall of Fame, VanDerveer has also been inducted into the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame and the Greater Buffalo Hall of Fame.

VanDerveer, a Boston native who grew up in upstate New York, is also a published author. Her book Shooting From The Outside, which chronicled her 1996 Olympic and National Team experience, was released in September 1997.

VanDerveer, an avid piano player in her spare time, was born June 26, 1953.

 

 

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