Stanford women’s basketball players,
staff and fans got together one last time to celebrate the team and its
accomplishments at the annual banquet April 10 at the alumni center.
This time, though, it had a different
tone because that morning head coach Tara VanDerveer announced in a press
conference that she is retiring from coaching as of May 8. However, she will
remain with the program as a consultant and adviser, so she’ll still have a
presence at Stanford.
At both the press conference and the
banquet, the 70-year-old coach seemed at peace with her decision. She said that
it was the right time and that it wasn’t because of the challenges of Stanford’s
move into the ACC next season.
Kate to succeed Tara
The team will still be in good hands,
though, because associate head coach Kate Paye will succeed her at the helm.
With 1,216 wins during her 45-year
coaching career, including 38 years at Stanford, Tara is the all-time
winningest college basketball coach for either women or men.
After the buffet dinner, she opened
the program by saying that this was women’s basketball’s 50th year
at Stanford and citing the team’s many accomplishments. She also noted that
during her 38 years, the team was never swept at home in the Pac-12 Conference.
With a motto of “Best year ever,” the
team made Stanford’s 29th trip to the Sweet 16, chalked up its 18th
season with at least 30 wins (30-6) and won its 27th Pac-12 season
title, more than any other team.
During the program she thanked the
numerous people who have contributed to the team’s success.
Players praised
She then called up the three freshmen, the Tree-O, they call themselves. Guard Chloe Clardy, the first player from
Arkansas, was third on the team in steals and earned a 4.0 average during the
winter quarter.
Forward Courtney Ogden can play four
positions and earned honorable mention on the Pac-12 all-freshman team, as did
forward Nunu Agara, who played in every game and was best on the team in
free-throw percentage.
Tara’s advice to these first-year
players: “Copy Kiki and get in the gym.” She was referring to junior forward Kiki
Iriafen, who made significant improvement from her first two seasons.
Among the sophomores, guards Stavi
Papadaki and Lauren Green didn’t play much, but they worked hard and served on
the scout team during practices. Tara said. Stavi will play for the Greek
national team in her home country this summer, as she did last year.
Tara praised their classmate, guard
Talana Lepolo, who started at the point and had 139 assists, for her composure,
coachability, unselfishness and tough defense.
After introducing the eight male
practice players and other student aides, Tara asked the juniors to the podium.
Guard Jzaniya Harriel played twice as
many minutes this season than she did last year.
Forward Brooke Demetre is “the
quintessential student-athlete,” Tara said.
Guard Elena Bosgana, like Stavi, will
play in her home country Greece during the summer. Stanford was undefeated when
she scored in double points, Tara said
Kiki was the team’s leading scorer
averaging 19.4 points per game and racked up 36 against Oregon. “The bigger the
game, the better she played,” Tara said. She received many awards and, like
Chloe, had a 4.0 last quarter.
Coaches next, followed by seniors
Next came the coaches, including
coaching fellow Erin Poindexter McHan. Tara had lavish praise for assistant
coaches Erica “Bird” McCall, Tempie Brown and Katy Steding along with Kate,
whom she called “a phenomenal coach.”
Finally, the two seniors, who have accumulated
a batch of honors between them, came to the front. Tara said she’s thankful
that grad guard Hannah Jump decided to return for her fifth year of eligibility
to earn her master’s degree. She played in a record 167 games over her career,
never fouled out and launched 364 3s, a school record.
Speaking to the crowd, Hannah said
she’s grateful to Tara, who has had “a tremendous impact on women’s
basketball.”
Forward Cameron Brink had “outstanding
career,” Tara said. She was named an All-American by several organizations and
had 424 blocks. Only Brittney Griner and Courtney Paris, playing for other
teams in the past, had more.
Cam thanked the donors and fans and
paid tribute to the coaches and her family for their support.
A video of season highlights came
next. Besides all the baskets made by individuals, I was most impressed by the
passing and assists, indicators of the team’s unselfishness.
And as the crowd gave Tara a standing
ovation, she said her career and this year have been “a magical experience for
me,” as they have been for the team’s fans.
