VanDerveer’s 1,000th basketball win will be something special

She’s not at Stanford just to collect a paycheck. Tara VanDerveer continues into her 38th year as a women’s basketball coach, 31 with the Cardinal, because the passion remains burning deep inside.

VanDerveer has already stepped into uncharted waters, having navigated a course that has helped elevate her sport into the national spotlight from humble beginnings; when it wasn’t much more than an extended intramural sport. Read the story http://paloaltoonline.com/news/2017/02/02/vanderveers-1000th-basketball-win-will-be-something-special here].

VanDerveer, along with her female peers, has done more for the women’s movement than any rally. She empowers girls and women alike just by giving them a basketball and showing them how to be the best player they can.

Along the way, VanDerveer’s exemplary character, personality, drive and intelligence have helped guide her players to greatness that numbers alone will never measure.

The number 1,000, however, is a nice place to start. It represents four decades of success, continuing development, and the ability to adapt.

You can’t call VanDerveer ‘old school’ because she’s building the foundation of higher education anew every season. You can call her a role model.

On Friday night, VanDerveer will be coaching in her 1,228th college game. It could also result in her 1,000th career victory.

Pat Summit, the only other women’s coach with more victories, has already made room for her among those blessed with eternal greatness.

Summit and VanDerveer, legends of the game, have combined for 2,097 victories entering Friday’s 6 p.m. Pac-12 game against visiting USC, a historically important school in its own right in the annals of women’s basketball. The game will televised on Pac-12 Networks and the stands should be close to full.

The atmosphere will be electric, something unthinkable in the 1980s, when getting a handful of your friends to come was considered a major achievement.

VanDerveer was already a successful coach when she arrived at Stanford in 1985. She led Ohio State to the NCAA tournament in three of the five years she was there, including a trip to the Elite Eight. VanDerveer won 42 of the first 56 games she coached in her two years at Idaho.

VanDerveer took over a program that many people felt could never be successful because of recruiting restrictions and the unrelenting academic standards.

It took VanDerveer three years to reach the NCAA tournament with Stanford and the school has never missed a year since.

In 1995-96, VanDerveer took a leave of absence to serve as head coach of the USA Basketball National Team. The Americans recorded a 52-0 exhibition record and then won eight straight to earn the Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Amy Tucker, who could have become a head coach at any other school, led the Cardinal to a 29-3 record and a Final Four appearance. Tucker is in her 32nd season with Stanford.

The Cardinal (19-3, 9-1) is once again in the thick of the conference race and this weekend is a big test. The Trojans (12-9, 3-7) are looking for their first win at Maples Pavilion since 2001.

UCLA (17-4, 8-2), which plays Stanford on Monday at 6 p.m. in Maples, remains a title contender.

Two national titles, 11 Final Four appearances and 22 regular-season titles later, VanDerveer remains as competitive as ever.

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