Tara VanDerveer
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In a special episode recorded in front of a live audience, Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes Stanford’s legendary women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer for a discussion about her extraordinary 40-year career. They discuss the coaching philosophy that led her teams to three NCAA Championship titles and an Olympic gold medal, along with her approach to developing talent and fostering resilience. They also explore the art of making half-time adjustments, learning as a leader, and the future of women’s athletics.
Tara VanDerveer
Tara VanDerveer is the second-winningest coach in NCAA basketball history and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She coached the Stanford Cardinal Women’s Basketball Team from 1986 until her retirement in 2024. Over 38 seasons, her teams won the NCAA Championship three times (1990, 1992, 2021), with 14 NCAA Final Four appearances and 35 trips to the NCAA championship tournament. VanDerveer also served as head coach of the USA Women’s Basketball National Team in 1995-96, amassing a perfect record of 52-0 and winning the gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Before taking the helm at Stanford, VanDerveer coached at the University of Idaho and Ohio State University. Her legacy goes beyond championships: 13 of her former players and assistant coaches have gone on to hold head coaching positions. Many of her players received accolades in their college careers, and 34 of her players went on to play in the WNBA.
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