Tara VanDerveer, head coach of the Stanford women's basketball team, is one game away from a historic 1,203rd college coaching win. VanDerveer tied the great Mike Krzyzewski's record of 1,202 college wins on Friday with an 88-63 home win over Oregon. The Cardinal will host 15-2 Oregon State tomorrow with a chance at securing coaching history for VanDerveer.
VanDerveer started coaching college basketball in 1978 and took the Stanford job in 1985. She's now 70 years old and is in the midst of her 38th season, but her visible passion for the game has remained unchanged. Over the course of her coaching career she's won three national titles and 26 conference titles, as well a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Coached by VanDerveer, the Americans went 60-0 that year, including an Olympic record of 8-0. The team consisted of stars like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Katrina McClain. The squad became known as "the Dream Team", one of the greatest women's basketball teams ever assembled. The team's success at the Olympics is credited for inspiring the creation of the WNBA.
VanDerveer's incredible career comes with a list of incredible stats. 1986-87, Stanford's first season in the Pac-10, is VanDerveer's only Stanford season to date that didn't end in a March Madness appearance. Her teams have played at an astounding 36 postseason tournaments in a row and are headed for a top seeding at this season's tournament as well. From 2007 to 2012, her teams made the Final Four five seasons in a row. In 2011, she was named AP College Basketball Coach of the Year and Naismith College Coach of the Year, and was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
VanDerveer has already cemented her legacy as one of the greatest coaches of all time. She'll have a chance to add a little more cement on Sunday when she hosts the Oregon State Beavers. Both teams sport an undefeated home record and come into the game with only two losses on their respective records. It's not clear if Stanford star Cameron Brink, who injured her knee in the first quarter of Friday's game, will be playing.
Stanford's is currently ranked #8 and looking to elevate in a rapidly changing AP Top 25. They're also tied with Colorado for first in the Pac-12. Both Stanford and Colorado are 5-1 in conference play while Oregon State is 4-2, but an Oregon State win tomorrow would elevate the Beavers above Stanford in Pac-12 ranking.
The remainder of this season offers plenty other conference games that VanDerveer can add to her legendary wins tally, but she'd better keep an eye over her shoulder. Geno Auriemma, coach of the long-dominant Connecticut women's team, is only seven wins behind VanDerveer at 1,195 career wins. He's a year younger than VanDerveer at 69 and seems to have more seasons in him. We could bear witness an epic duel of wins if both legends continue to coach.
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