Stanford coach seeking big win

VanDerveer can become second woman with 1,000.

Once heard, those beloved Tara-isms linger forever.

Tara VanDerveer’s sayings are so uniquely her, they stay with all the women she has coached, even years later. Recited and revered, they provide lessons in real life that reach far beyond basketball.

This week, VanDerveer’s former players are ready to shout her praises and cheer her catchphrases once more.

Tonight, VanDerveer is poised to become just the second NCAA women’s coach to enter the 1,000 wins club, alongside the late Pat Summitt. No. 8 Stanford will host USC at Maples Pavilion, where VanDerveer could treat the home crowd to a milestone moment.

She won No. 800 against former player and thencoach Jennifer Azzi at the University of San Francisco in December 2010 and then her 900th in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during a 2013 Thanksgiving tournament.

“There’s just kind of a Tara voice,” Azzi said. “I don’t know that I could do it, but if you ask any former player what is the Tara voice, they will all know what that is. It can be kind of serious, a little bit sarcastic. A funny memory I have with her, she was always so intense at that time — I know she’s still got a very intense side, but I think she’s kind of mellowed out a little bit over the years — but we were playing in the regional final at Stanford and she got mad about something . ... She calls me over to the bench, she goes, ‘Jennifer, you go back out there and you tell your team to play defense now and celebrate later.’”

Some well known “Taraisms”:

■ “Some days you’re the dog and some days you’re the hydrant.”

■ “You are a Ferrari, quit driving like a Volkswagen.”

■ “Quit standing around out there like a decoration, Christmas is over.”

College of Charleston: The women’s team is being forced to give up two wins after using the wrong size basketballs in games against William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington.

The Colonial Athletic Association wanted to make the Cougars forfeit the games, but the NCAA told the conference the statistics would count, but Charleston would lose the victories for seeding purposes in the conference tournament.

Charleston athletic director Matt Roberts says it was a mistake and the school agrees with losing the wins.

Pittsburgh: The football team is turning to Shawn Watson to take over an offense that thrived last season under Matt Canada.

The Panthers named Watson their offensive coordinator on Thursday. Watson replaces Canada, who left for the same position at LSU in December. Watson’s resume includes stops as offensive coordinator at Texas, Louisville, Nebraska and Colorado. He spent 2016 as an offensive quality control assistant and quarterbacks coach at Indiana.

The 56-year-old Watson will also serve as the quarterbacks coach for the Panthers, who went 8-5 in 2016 while setting a school record for points scored (532). Pitt loses quarterback Nathan Peterman and running back James Conner but has Peterman’s replacement in USC transfer Max Browne.

Clemson: The board of trustees has approved staff raises for seven returning football assistant coaches.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables earned a raise of $275,000, bringing his salary to $1.7 million next season.