STANFORD, Calif. — “What milestone?”
Tara VanDerveer asked the question so matter-of-factly she clearly had little idea what the fuss is all about.
Walking out of Maples Pavilion one afternoon last month after another Stanford win that added to her remarkable total, VanDerveer had to be reminded just what she’s about to do now given her decorated career features such a long list of accomplishments.
Yes, THAT milestone. The one that will make her the winningest coach in college basketball — not just in the women’s game, but all of men’s and women’s basketball. Surpassing the great Mike Krzyzewski.
“We can talk about this thing if it happens,” she said. “And I don’t keep track, so I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I hope it does, though.”
The Hall of Fame coach is on the cusp of breaking Krzyzewski’s record of 1,202 victories, with a chance to tie his mark when the eighth-ranked Cardinal host Oregon on Friday night. At least a couple dozen of VanDerveer’s former players plan to travel to be there if she’s in position to make history Sunday against Oregon State.
“It’s going to be a lot of people and it’s going to be awesome,” former Cardinal guard Ros Gold-Onwude said. “This is so huge.”
Stanford head coach Tara VaDerveer directs her team against Colorado in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. Credit: AP/Cliff Grassmick
Even if her coach downplays it all.
Everybody is used to VanDerveer’s understated nature, her humility.
“I don’t think Tara’s ever been somebody who makes it about herself, although she’s been the steady drumbeat, heartbeat of this program for decades,” Gold-Onwude said. “… You can’t deny her, you can’t deny what she’s meant not only to the women’s game but the men’s game. You can’t deny her statistical significance, her historical significance, her significance over eras, her significance in the WNBA, the transfer of talent from…
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