Legendary Stanford Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer knotted former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s mark for the most NCAA wins by a coach in college hoops history (men’s or women’s) with the No. 8 Cardinal’s 88-63 blowout win over the Oregon Ducks Friday night. The longtime Cardinal coach has officially tied Krzyzewski’s NCAA wins record of 1,202.
VanDerveer, in her 38th season at the helm in Palo Alto, California, will attempt to pass what seems to be an unbreakable record on Sunday, when Stanford hosts the Oregon State Beavers.
“It’s a great tribute to the great teams I’ve had,” VanDerveer said after Friday’s game. “The great places I’ve worked. … It’s great for women’s basketball that there’s a lot of attention and we’re having a super season.”
The Cardinal, 16-2 on the season, came into Friday’s contest looking to extend their six-game winning streak over the Ducks and keep their unblemished record at home alive. Stanford bounced back from a loss last Sunday to then-No. 5 Colorado Buffalo. In that game, the Cardinal trailed by six at the break but were taken to the woodshed in the third quarter, being outscored by 11 points and shot an ice cold 32.7 percent from the field overall.
Friday’s effort was much improved to say the least. Stanford held the Ducks to 26 first-half points and maintained a double-figure lead throughout the contest. Five Cardinal players scored at least ten points, engineered by Kiki Iriafen’s 21-point, 15-rebound double-double. Chance Gray put up a team-high 19 points in a losing effort for Oregon.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere was some bad news within the celebration. Cardinal star forward Cameron Brink, a two-time All-American, exited the game during the first half with what appeared to be an significant knee injury and did not return to the game. However, she emerged from the locker room with an ice bag on her right lower leg. Her teammates rallied behind her and stepped up in her absence.
Brink’s availability will be paramount Sunday against Oregon State’s Raeagan Beers, who is averaging a cool 19.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season for the 15-2 Beavers.
VanDerveer was surrounded and embraced by her players as soon as the final buzzer went off. She joked that they were all sweaty and saying she hopes Brink is not seriously injured.
“I love coaching this team. They are really special young ladies,” VanDerveer added.
Among those in attendance at Maples Pavilion were some famous Stanford alumni, including former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck, who described VanDerveer as “a titan” to reporter Danny Emmerman. Also in the stands was Hall of Fame Jennifer Azzi, who played for VanDerveer from 1986 until 1990, when the team earned the program’s inaugural national championship.
The Cardinal are now 16-2 and 5-1 in Pac-12 play. While there is still a long way to go this season, one interesting fact is that Stanford has not had to endure a losing campaign since 1986, and VanDerveer is the constant for the team’s consistency as she became head coach in 1985. VanDerveer’s teams have made the ‘Big Dance’, NCAA Tournament every single year since 1988, a streak only topped by Tennessee women’s basketball. VanDerveer got her first victory at the University of Idaho in 1978. That is where it all began.
Krzyzewski, Duke’s longtime men’s basketball coach, hung up his whistle in 2022, so his wins record is very much up for grabs. While VanDerveer can take sole possession of the No. 1 spot this weekend, it is important to point out that UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is nipping at her heels. As of Friday, Auriemma has earned 1,195 career wins.
