NO. 1 ALL TIME
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer became the winningest coach in women’s basketball history Tuesday,
Tara VanDerveer became the winningest women’s college basketball coach Tuesday night, passing the late Pat Summitt with her 1,099th victory as No. 1 Stanford romped to a 104-61 victory against Pacific.
Dressed casually in all black, VanDerveer received the game ball after the final buzzer. Her dancing players chanted “Tara! Tara!” and gave her a new pullover reading “T-DAWG” to celebrate the latest milestone for the Hall of Fame coach in her 35th season on The Farm and 42nd overall.
“It’s really sweet,” VanDerveer said.
The 67-year-old VanDerveer improved her career record to 1,099-253. The road to this historic night began with her first head coaching job at the University of Idaho from 1978-80, and then moved to Ohio State (1980-85) and Stanford, where she is 947202. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma is right behind at 1,093 wins.
After the history-making win in a draped-off area upstairs that served as Stanford’s locker room, VanDerveer was set to receive a plaque containing a piece of the floor from Stanford’s home court at Maples Pavilion.
A framed proclamation from Palo Alto Mayor Adrian Fine was another memento. White longsleeved shirts commemorating the night were made for the players as well as handheld confetti poppers and individual mini cakes with an attached sticker that read, “Tara at the top.” Silver balloons with the numbers 1,099 adorned the room.
Just as the humble VanDerveer prefers, she broke Summitt’s mark going largely under the radar and with little fanfare given the game took place in California’s Central Valley — about 80 miles from the Bay Area. No fans were allowed into Spanos Center, either.
“I really hope Pat Summit is looking down and saying, ‘Great job Tara, keep it going,’ ” VanDerveer said.
Florida
Gators forward Keyontae Johnson enjoyed a breakthrough in his recovery from a scary collapse Saturday at Florida State. Johnson’s parents, Nika and Marrecus, released a statement updating their son’s progress as he remains hospitalized at UF Health in Gainesville. He has been upgraded to stable condition, with no critical status. Johnson, 21, is breathing on his own and speaking to his parents and doctors.
Connecticut
Paige Bueckers scored 25 points in her second game for visiting No. 3 Connecticut, and the Huskies beat Seton Hall 92-65 on Tuesday night in their return to the Big East. Connecticut (2-0, 10) rejoined the conference on July 1 after a seven-year stint in the American Athletic Conference.