• Loading stock data...
Monday, July 14, 2025

Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer Retires With ACC Move Looming

  • She became the all-time winningest basketball coach in NCAA history in January.
  • The school joins the ACC next season, one reason star player Cameron Brink cited for jumping to the WNBA.
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The winningest coach in college basketball is saying goodbye.

Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer announced her retirement Tuesday. She spent 45 years as head coach of Idaho, Ohio State, and Stanford, where she spent 38 seasons and won three national championships, most recently in 2021. In January, she passed Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in the record books with her 1,203rd career win. After the Cardinal made a trip to the Sweet 16 this year, her record stands at 1,216 wins.

Kate Paye, who played under VanDerveer in the 1990s and coached under her for the last 17 seasons, is in negotiations to take over the program, the school announced. VanDerveer will stay on in an advisory capacity for the school and athletic department.

VanDerveer’s departure coincides with the dissolution of the Pac-12 and the subsequent splintering of a women’s college hoops powerhouse. Stanford, Cal, and SMU are set to join the ACC next season, and the Cardinal will live the bicoastal lifestyle as they clock more than 3,000 miles to get to Boston College and Miami.

On Wednesday, the legend denied that the conference move had any bearing on her decision. “It has nothing to do with going into the ACC,” VanDerveer said in a press conference. The coach said she would have relished competing against the East Coast powerhouses in that league.

It’s a brutal commute, especially for non-football sports that play midweek games, and it was part of the reason VanDerveer’s best player is taking off for the WNBA.

“As much as I love my coaching staff and my teammates, I don’t want to travel across the country,” Cameron Brink said while explaining her decision on The Bird and Taurasi Show on ESPN.

Brink had one year of eligibility remaining and could’ve stayed on at Stanford, but will instead get drafted to the WNBA on Monday. She’s projected to be the No. 2 pick, currently held by the Los Angeles Sparks, which just lost another one of VanDerveer’s former power forwards, Nneka Ogwumike, to the Seattle Storm.

VanDerveer had previously said she was “thrilled to be in the ACC” after Plan A, staying in the Pac-12, fell through. But, she said more charter flights, for most if not all matchups, would be necessary to remain competitive in the new conference. Like many schools, Stanford football takes a charter for all road games, men’s and women’s basketball fly private for most road games, and Olympic sports fly commercial except for the postseason, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Lane Kiffin: ‘Doesn’t Seem’ Like CFB Revenue-Sharing Cap Works Very Well

The outspoken Ole Miss football coach isn’t impressed with revenue-sharing guidelines.
Joy Taylor

Joy Taylor Out As FS1 Armageddon Ends Three Shows

All three shows were struggling to attract audiences.
Phillies

Replacements Have MLB at Whopping 80 All-Stars

Players have criticized the replacement process as a popularity contest. 

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.

SEC’s Sankey Is ‘Fine’ With Big Ten’s Differing View on CFP Expansion

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey won’t commit to a 2026 CFP format.
July 11, 2025

NCAA: March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams ‘Still Viable’ for 2026

Negotiations continue with media rights holder CBS and TNT Sports.
July 14, 2025

SEC’s Greg Sankey: Conference Not Sold on Private Equity—for Now

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’s taken PE meetings.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
July 10, 2025

Athletic Departments Express Renewed Interest in PE in Wake of House Settlement

Schools now have more expenses—and are looking for creative solutions.
July 10, 2025

Deion Sanders Rips ‘Bulljunk’ in CFB, Calls for NFL-Style Salary Cap

Coach Prime is frustrated with the new revenue-sharing era.
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard KK Arnold (2)1 dribbles against UCLA Bruins forward Angela Dugalic (32) during the third quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena.
July 10, 2025

‘Kind of a Joke’: Frustrations Mount As New NIL Deal Approval Process..

Delays have already led to athletes losing NIL opportunities.
Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Head coaches Willie Fritz of Houston, Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State, Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia, Lance Leipold of Kansas, Sonny Dykes of TCU, Kyle Whittingham of Utah, Brent Brennan of Arizona and Deion Sanders of Colorado all sit on stage for a Coaches Roundtable during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star.
July 9, 2025

Big 12 Commish: Conference Is ‘All In’ on International Expansion

The conference had once planned a large initiative in Mexico.