Stanford women's basketball to name court after legendary coach vs. Gonzaga on Sunday

Time for Stanford to honor the GOAT of college basketball.

Mar 3, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer in the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Michelob Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

For decades, Tara VanDerveer roamed the sidelines for Stanford women’s basketball, creating a Hall of Fame resume for herself with three National Championships while helping Stanford be one of the nation’s best teams. After nearly 40 years on the job, VanDerveer announced her retirement in April, leaving behind an undying legacy on The Farm that will forever go down in history. This weekend, her name will forever live within the walls of Maples Pavilion.

During the team’s Nov. 10 matchup against Gonzaga, the court in Maples will officially become known as Tara VanDerveer Court, honoring the coach that cemented herself in the same category as coaches like Pat Summit and Geno Auriemma as the greatest coaches in women’s college basketball history. At Stanford, VanDerveer won a record 531 games at home and retired as the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach. Winning national championships in 1990, 1992 and 2021, VanDerveer consistently brought glory to The Farm.

Beginning her head coaching career at Idaho, VanDerveer quickly ascended the coaching ranks, eventually ending up at Ohio State in 1980, where during her five season stay there, she turned the Buckeyes into a nationally ranked team, guiding them to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in her final season there. Landing the Stanford job prior to the 1985-86 season, VanDerveer had been there ever since, with the exception of a sabbatical taken in 1995-96 to focus on coaching the USA National Team.

Throughout her career at Stanford, VanDerveer coached some major stars who went on to have successful careers in the WNBA, most notably Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, Cameron Brink, Lexie Hull, Haley Jones and Alanna Smith among others and made Stanford a desired destination for players looking to go pro. In every season that she was in charge, the Cardinal were ranked at some point, a trend that dating back to the 1990s, was not broken until the beginning of this season.

There is no doubt that VanDerveer’s career was one for the ages and with her name going up in the rafters as well as being plastered over the Maples Pavilion floor, her legacy will live on forever with all of her achievements going down in history for the rest of time.