Stanford Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is on the cusp of reaching a historic milestone.
She’s knocking on the door of NCAA basketball history with 999 career wins. With win No. 1,000, she will join the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt as the only two NCAA women’s basketball coaches in history with 1,000 career victories.
VanDerveer will have her first chance to reach the milestone on Friday night when Stanford hosts USC.
Tara VanDerveer (gostanford.com)
Current Oregon assistant coach Nicole Powell, who played for VanDerveer for four years, is among the most accomplished players in Cardinal history. While at Stanford, she was twice the Pac-10 Player of the Year and a three-time All-American. During her final season, she led the Cardinal to the NCAA’s Elite Eight.
Powell spoke with The Emerald this week about her former college coach.
Have you been thinking about Coach VanDerveer this week as there’s so much attention on what she’s done?
Even when we played them down there. I don’t know what number she was at. … It’s been the buzz for a while and obviously very exciting.
You were there for, I think, 105 of the wins. What did she teach you during that time?
The things I’ve taken away from her as a coach — attention to detail, always being very prepared. She set the standard for our team very, very high as far as what she embodies. She expected us to be as prepared. She always had detailed scouting reports. Lots of film work. Obviously, she knew what she was doing. Those are the things I remember. I think always, one of her biggest challenges (for us) was not only playing against the other team but also yourself — going for that perfect game. I think that’s the standard you have to have to be a great player and also a great team.
Do you have a favorite Tara memory? It seems like everyone has one.
Nicole Powell (14) won 105 games during her four years at Stanford. (Daily Emerald archives)
The Tara-isms, I guess. One of the things that she would always say was, ‘Get off the porch. Fire’s in the kitchen.’ That’s one I remember off the top of my head. ‘Be where the action is.’ Small things like I remember a lot of the Christmas tree defensively in the post. … I don’t know. Get engaged but don’t get married. It was a basketball thing about zone defense.
What’s it like to be in her coaching tree? Her influence is all across the country in so many conferences.
It’s really interesting. The types of players that Stanford recruits speaks to that. I think you’re inspired by her, too. … She’s one of the greatest of all time. It’s hard to really fathom that number and the depth of that. I know all you guys as writers are trying to write about. The longevity is unbelievable. I see coaches that have coached for 20, or 15 years. Now that I’m here — It’s one thing to get to the top. Sort of like Roger Federer. It’s one thing to get there, but to stay there and have that longevity for so long. To still have the fire that she does and continue to do what she does is incredible.
The biggest thing about her, I would say, is that she’s continued to evolve with the game. She’s not afraid of change. She’s not afraid to do something different. She’s a life-long learner and she never thinks that she knows too much. She just has this steady work ethic. She’s steadfast. Her work ethic is just steadfast. Those are some things I’ve taken away.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
