For the Golden State Warriors, the night of Dec. 16 was just another in the march toward the commencement of the regular season, but for Stanford University head women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, it was one that she’ll never forget.
On Tuesday night, by virtue of Stanford’s 104-61 victory over Pacific, coach VanDerveer surpassed the late Pat Summit for most victories in Division I women’s basketball as a head coach.
Coach Summitt — a legend in the profession — died in 2016 after she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Between 1974 and 2012, however, Summitt coached her Tennessee Volunteers to a remarkable won-loss record of 1,098-298.
On Tuesday night, though, coach VanDerveer recorded victory number 1,099, eclipsing the record previously held by the late coach.
In a video tweeted by the Warriors on the team’s official Twitter account, Steph Curry recognized VanDerveer and the incredible accomplishment.
“Coach VanDerveer, just want to say congratulations on breaking the all-time wins record in women’s basketball as a head coach. It’s a true testament to who you and what you’ve been able to do and build over the course of your career and building up Stanford to the prestigious program that it is. I know you have a lot more wins in the tank so I’m sure there’s more to come, but I just wanted to say congratulations on this major, major accomplishment and congratulations to all your players and coaches that have been along the journey with you. All the best.”
The winningest coach in women's college basketball history
Congratulations, Tara#TaraAtTheTop || #BayAreaUnite
pic.twitter.com/AcPwnzJZVY— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 16, 2020
Sure, the Warriors may have lost their second preseason contest on a buzzer-beater from the Sacramento Kings’ Kyle Guy. But in the grand scheme of things, Dec. 16 will be remembered for much more than in the Bay Area.
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