VanDerveer on cusp of all-time wins mark
Steve Gress
Scott Rueck, who had just been hired to take over an Oregon State women’s basketball program that was looking at a major rebuild, was out on the recruiting trail in July 2010.
Not long after walking into the gym in Chicago, none other than Tara VanDerveer walked over to her future opponent in the then-Pac-10 Conference and struck up a conversation.
“And I’m like Tara VanDerveer just walked up to me, recognized me and welcomed me,” Rueck recalled last week at a virtual Pac-12 media day.
Rueck had always looked up to VanDerveer, who had turned Stanford into a national powerhouse, winning two national titles as the Cardinal’s coach. His admiration for VanDerveer began when he took his first head coaching gig at George Fox.
He describes VanDerveer as an inspiration, the ultimate competitor and a trailblazer.
“For a young head coach, back in the day, 25 years ago now, for me, my first year, there was this program on the west coast that was able to win nationally,” he said. “And that belief and that confidence and that level of perfection and excellence that she held herself to, her team to, was inspiring and made me aspire to be like that.
“And so she’s one of the people that early in my career before I even knew her or was able to compete against her, taught me that it’s possible and gave us hope from the west coast.”
Nothing has changed over
the past decade as their two teams have played some intense and thrilling games against each other.
“And now being able to compete against (her is) nothing but an absolute honor,” Rueck said. “And I mean that in every sense the word she’s been nothing but class to me.”
VanDerveer’s success and longevity has her on the cusp of an impressive accomplishment — becoming the Division I women’s basketball coach with the most alltime victories.
VanDerveer enters the season, which begins Wednesday for the second-ranked Cardinal, with 1,094 career victories. That is just four behind the late Pat Summitt, who won 1,098 games over 38 seasons at Tennessee. UConn’s Geno Auriemma is right behind with 1,091 entering the season.
Rueck’s experiences with VanDerveer are not unique. USC coach Mark Trakh had a similar experience when he first arrived in the conference during his first stint with the Women of Troy.
“She’s always been class personified,” he said. “She’s always been gracious with her time.”
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and that is the case with VanDerveer.
“You always study her teams because her teams are one thing and it’s consistent,” Trakh said. “I mean, they execute well, they really, really play with a purpose and they’re a reflection of their head coach. Their head coach is definitely someone who has a lot of attention to detail. And when you watch them play in the system that they run offensively and defensively, man, that’s a reflection of Tara and I have nothing but respect for her. She’s one of the all-time great coaches in our sport.”
VanDerveer’s support for the conference has been second to none. She consistently talks up her opponents and even when many used to say the Pac-10/12 was Stanford and everyone else, she would dispute that claim.
She would say the conference has always been good just that people are starting to take more notice with the national success of some teams.
Colorado coach JR Payne recalls being at the conference tournament her first season and the Cardinal were in the championship game — which could be just about any year, to be honest — and she talked up not just her team but every other one in the conference.
“She mentioned her team of course, but the 11 other schools she mentioned about how strong they were and how good they were and how that had helped prepare them,” Payne said. “And that actually really struck me just this is one of the greatest coaches in the history of our game and in this big shining moment she’s taking the opportunity to talk about how great everybody else is.
“That level of selflessness really had a big influence on me and I hope that, for years to come, I can sort of emulate her leadership in that.”