A college basketball great is hanging up the playbook.
Tara VanDerveer, college basketball's all-time wins leader, announced her retirement from Stanford's women's team on Tuesday.
Across 45 total seasons with Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford, the latter of which she spent 38 seasons at, VanDerveer amassed 1,216 total wins.
Kate Paye, who played under VanDerveer from 1991-95 and has been on her staff for the last 17 seasons, is in negotiations with the school to be the successor, Stanford announced. Paye would become the program's fifth head coach.
"I've been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world's foremost institutions for nearly four decades," VanDerveer said in a statement. "Coupled with my time at Ohio State and Idaho, and as head coach of the United States National Team, it has been an unforgettable ride. The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond.
NCAAB
"Winning was a byproduct. I've loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I've been able to give at least a little bit back."
VanDerveer will stick around with the program in an advisory role.
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The 70-year-old VanDerveer won three total championships, all with Stanford that transpired in 1990, 1992 and 2021. She was named National Coach of the Year five times (1988-90, 2011, 2020) and entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Her final win-loss record ended at 1,216-271, good for an 81.8% victory rate.
Stanford most recently qualified for the 2024 women's NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, but lost to No. 3 NC State in the Sweet 16.
