Tara VanDerveer gets 1099 wins to pass Pat Summitt

Well, she got it. And she aptly got it in the style she was probably most comfortable with, no fanfare, big speeches or packed fans hanging on her every word. We, or course, are talking about Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer setting the all time career women's basketball wins, surpassing the legendary Pat Summitt.

In an empty gym at the University of Pacific, albeit televised on ESPN2, the Stanford Women's Basketball team beat UoP by the score of 104-61 (making this the third time this season they have broken 100 points). With this win, she now has 1099 (and counting), passing Pat's record and just a handful of wins ahead of still active UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

And wasn't it serendipitous that UConn had their first two weeks put on pause due to Covid concerns that allowed Tara to sprint ahead and beat Pat first and hold it for a little while? Yeah it was! Glad everyone up in the frozen north is healthy, mind you, but the basketball gods wanted Tara to have this, to have her be the one that surpasses Pat.

When she tied the record, the story Tara kept telling about Pat was the one that happened when she came out West to play Stanford, after just receiving her diagnosis of early onset dementia. They met courtside, and Tara said to Pat, look what you built, sweeping her arms to the packed and raucous Maples crowd. And Pat Summitt turned to her and said, "Tara, I love you." Tara then describes how, in that moment, it took the wind out of her sails because she wanted to maintain a fiery edge and just beat her...The fact that is the quote she remembers and shares with the world is not what we expected. 

So much has been written about this historic milestone, and better than C and R could ever spit out, (Ann Killion has a great article) but take a listen below. Tara over the years has been described as dry and understated, in a slightly negative light, to analytic and even-keeled in a somewhat positive light. But in the video with her addressing her team, she tells her players she loves them. And that everything she does is because of that love for them. And yes, the message sometimes gets lost in translation, and that "Sprint back" doesn't seem like love, but it is, Tara style. Have a listen yourself and get a feel for this unique, one of a kind coach.

And, in typical Tara fashion after she broke the record, she thanked the ADs that hired her, her coaching staff, her family (even though she often trots out the quote her Dad said when he said "basketball will never take you anywhere," which, if you understand Tara, was more of a challenge then the end of a conversation), and every single player that has ever played for her. She also says she is looking ahead to the next game, and how her current team can improve. Typical Tara.

We love you too, coach!

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Tara VanDerveer ties record for career wins in the most understated way

Have you been keeping up with all of the #1 ranked Stanford Women's Basketball team's wins? They are currently 3-0. We don't blame you if the answer is no, as the scheduled changed so much in the last two weeks due to Covid. However, they finally got a third game in, one that counts in the Pac-12 standings no less, on Sunday.

The game was against Cal, of course, in Oakland as Santa Clara County, where Stanford plays and practices, still has a ban on basketball. And of course our heroes without a home prevailed, 83-38. What makes this win so special is it was career-win number 1,098 for head coach Tara Vanderveer. With this win she ties legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summit.

(image curtesy of Stanford Women's Basketball)

It was so Tara, so apropos that the win happened with no fans, no fanfare and no fuss. No standing ovations, no courtside speeches. As the final horn sounded, she waved to Cal Head Coach, and former player and assistant coach, Charmin Smith. The players also forgo the handshake line, because, you know, Covid. Never mind the players were all just out there moments ago sweating over each other. Then the PA announcer spoke a garbled announcement about the win. Her players cheered. And what did Tara do? She waved her hands and says, "All right, all right, let's go to the locker room." So, so.... Tara.

The game had it's own magic courtesy of Fran Beilibi. She got a steal, raced to the basket, and with no one in front of her, and an escort of black shirts, she lined herself up to the basket, took that special, well placed dribble, and DUNKED it! I mean hand above the rim, throw it down dunk!! Check out the video courtesy of Pac-12 Networks.

Even though Stanford won by a bunch over Cal, they still missed a lot of shots. And scoring 83 points in the third game of the season is actually a let down, as they broke 100 points in the first two games. So still some room to improve. Freshmen Cameron Brink was high scorer with 16, three-point specialist Hannah Jump had 15 (going 5-6 from behind the arc) and was followed closely by Frannie with 14 (and didn't Tara say a few years back that a slam dunk still only counts for 2 points?). Steady Kiana Williams added 11.

Tara won't be as lucky to be low key for the next game with a chance to break the record. It happens Tuesday against Pacific and ESPN grabbed a chance to film history, so yay! You KNOW they are going to have to make a big del out of it, as well they should. Just don't know if Tara will cooperate. She is a slow and steady interview, and won't have the big emotions ESPN will want from such a historic game. You can check her out during the Cal game here, courtesy of Pac-12 Networks:

If you want a little more perspective on her historic wins, listen to former Stanford players and coaches talk about some of her iconic wins (Candice, Jayne, Azzi, Chiney, Nneka, all the faves!).

Stay tuned for 1,099! Maybe they will bring back the big bucket of confetti from win #1,000. And, just for the record, we truly love you too, coach!!

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Stanford Women's Basketball Routs Cal Poly, Looking Good at #2 in the Country

So we turn away from our remote, working-from-home computer to our home computer to watch the live stream of the Stanford Women's Basketball team play Cal-Poly (shh, don't tell our bosses). It's at 11AM on a workday the Wed before Thanksgiving. (And why is it being live streamed on the internet when BOTH the Pac-12 and Bay Area Pac-12 channels we pay a gazillion dollars extra for on cable are showing RERUNS of men's sports??) 

But we digress. So, we open the ESPN women's basketball scores webpage (got to get those good keywords in there!) and see the #1 team in the country, South Carolina, destroyed Charleston 119-38. Gulp! Scoring a bazillion points is not #2 Stanford's strong suite, we thought. Then Stanford played, and, by golly, the final score was 108-40!! Hot dog! 

Yes, the game was all kinds of 2020 Covid-era weird. No fans (cute cardboard cut outs, though), expanded bench with socially distanced chairs, everyone on the sidelines wearing masks, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer utilizing a tiny plastic red bullhorn to make her voice heard through her mask. Time out huddles were huge, the end of the game high five line was air high fives.... One Cal Poly player ran in the game from the bench with her mask, then belatedly took it off. Later we saw another Cal Poly player playing with a mask... 

Photo: Tony Avelar, AP

All so strange, although we understand this is all done with the players, coaches, staff and official's health in mind. And Stanford was lucky they got to play as it was estimated over a quarter of Women's games did not happen this week. I mean look at poor UConn, with a positive Covid case, they have suspended activities for 14 days and will miss up to 4 games.

It's funny, part of the joy in this blog is we can be humorous and not take anything seriously. And normally, we LOVE to make fun of UConn and give them a bad time. However, these strange times are no laughing matter. As we reread that UConn sentence, we are aware it comes off snarky even if we didn't mean it that way. We don't know how to shut the snarky filter off, we guess.

Anyway, back to Stanford and their won, which puts Tara VanDerveer 3 wins away from tying legendary Pat Summit for all time career wins as a coach. Now four will gives her the record (fun fact, UConn coach Geno Auriemma is hot on Tara's heels, being three wins behind Tara and now that UConn is not playing, Tara should get there first...I swear we didn't mean that to sound as snarky as it did... well maybe a little!).

Anyhoo, back to the Stanford game, the thing that stood out the most was the impressive play of the freshmen. Cameron Brink scored 17 points and 9 rebounds, almost a double double in her debut, coming off the bench. Jana Van Gytenbeek had 9 points and 4 assists, including some great, long fast break passes. Agnes Emma-Nnopu had 8 points (she is the second Australian recruit behind Alana Smith!). 

But C and R would be remiss if we did not give some Stanford love to the returning players. Haley Jones, coming back from an injury that cut short her season last year, looks like a new and improved version of, well, Haley Jones. She did get a double double, with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The always steady Kiana Williams scored 13, and Lexi Hull got a game high 21 points. Hannah jump, our three-point specialist scored 13, and shot 3-7 from behind the arc. In fact, as a team, Stanford shot roughly 53% from the field. Starter Fran Beilibi, while not scoring a bunch (2 points and 3 rebounds) looked sharp in her passing game, much improved over last year where she would put her head down and just try to make it to the basket. She was credited with 3 assists.

The only quibble we have is free throws (free throws, free throws, free throws)! Stanford shot 58% from the free throw line. Come on, in the age of Covid where you can't do a whole lot of contact drills, free throws should be where you excel! Hope to see that improve.

looking forward to game #2. As Tara VanDerveer said in preseason, the best ability is availability. All the players dressed got to play, and let's hope they all stay healthy! 

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The 2019-2020 Women's Basketball Season comes to an Anti-climatic End

Well, that was unexpected. World events intruded on the 2019-2020 Women's basketball season, cutting short many league basketball championships and would not let the NCAA tournament championship even be played. The world events was the pandemic coronavirus, and the correct, but painful, decision was the right one, but it still stings on some many levels; financially for venues and workers and emotionally for coaches and players, especially seniors.

So, the AP put out their last poll for the season and South Carolina is number one. South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley says there should be no argument who is the final #1 team.

According to the Sports Illustrated:

The AP has always released its final poll of the season before the start of the tournament that settles the national championship. Staley said she wasn’t sure if the Gamecocks might recognize this achievement next year with a banner or something else since there was no tournament.

The Stanford Women's Basketball team came in on #7 for the season. Pac-12 buddy Oregon, with stand out star Sabrina Ionescue came in at #2, and they will forever be debating if Oregon could have won the program's first national championship.

There was talk of trying to get another year of eligibility for seniors, as Coaches want the NCAA to allow senior basketball players to return next season, but that seems unlikely. This headline says it all: The NCAA Not Likely To Grant Extra Year of Eligibility for Men's And Women's Basketball.

Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer was not in support of it, according to the San Jose Mercury News:

“For spring sports it’s legitimate,” she said. “But basketball is different. We played our whole season. What it means is 64 teams didn’t get one more game.”

Still, it's sad to say good bye to the Stanford seniors, Nadia Fingall, Mikaela Brewer, DiJonai Carrington and Anna Wilson. Although will we? It seems both Anna Wilson and DiJonai Carrington want to come bask as a medical redshirt for one more year. According to the same San Jose Mercury News article:

Two of the four seniors, DiJonai Carrington and Anna Wilson, want to return next season as a medical redshirt. There is only scholarship space available for one of them. Wilson applied for the redshirt year before Carrington was lost for the season in November when aggravating a previous knee injury.

What will Tara do?  One thing she said, she doesn't like this shelter in place ordeal for the Bay Area. It reminds her too much of retirement.

Well, congrats to Stanford on a ggreat season, and to all the teams. Hopefully the silver lining is we will appreciate next year's season and March Madness even more.

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