Tara at 802

Wow! Last night we went to the Farm and as part of a very enthusiastic crowd of over 7,000 full, enjoyed the Stanford Cardinal ending the record setting 90 win streak of UConn. The game was an exciting one, not decided until the last 20 -30 seconds. The sell out crowd roared, as much for the release of tension as for the joy of the accomplishment. The last team to beat UConn was Tara Vanderveer's Cardinal but that was over 2.5 years ago. An incredible record.

For 25 years Vanderveer has been overall, the best coach in the Bay Area, consistently getting her teams to perform at a high level while elevating the quality of the game. Women's basketball is played under the hoop (dunking is not a part of the game-it happens but there really isn't any good reason why it should) and can move as gracefully and as powerful as the men's game. They bang, they score. Vanderveer coached the 1996 Olympics team to a gold medal, a team that Charles Barkley said was the best team he had ever see play; emphasis on team.

Last year in the NCAA Championship game, Stanford had outcoached UConn but UConn pulled out that game with the herculean effort of the great Maya Moore and knowing that Stanford would lose without Jayne Appel, they took their chances with a very injured Appel, who ended up ineffective, and lost a close ugly game.

Amidst the sell out crowd's celebrating, Vanderveer kept the focus on this being one effort, acknowledging UConn's accomplishments and that tonight was about Stanford. Vanderveer has complete concentration on the court but off of it seems a bit out of place. With her self effacing manner and discomfort being the center of press coverage- when she seemingly would prefer to have it directed to her team or the university, Coach still manages to deliver some very funny lines, with the most serious composure.
Vanderveer's teams are always well prepared- if their standards (maintaining the academics at Stanford beside the demands of the team) scare off some potential recruits, Vanderveer finds ways to get her teams consistently ranked in the top 10 of the country. Tutored with great coaches Bobby Knight, Pat Summit and Bill Walsh (who spent much time at Stanford), Tara Vanderveer has created her own path, her own unique niche, and at 802 wins and counting, will continue to be a
great leader in bay area sports.

A note: The Stanford-UConn game was set to be the record breaker before the season but UConn added two games prior to playing Stanford. This understandably would ease their path to the record. A smart move for many reasons, not least of which is that at the Farm UConn continued one streak; they are 0-3.

One personal story: Right after Stanford won their second national championship in 1992, I sent a Just Desserts chocolate fudge cake to Gary Radnich at KRON requesting more coverage for Tara and her teams. Coincidentally that night on his weekly SportsFinal show, Radnich was hosting some of the players. He dragged out my cake, proclaiming it to be from some crazy Stanford fan by name. The players nervous in studio, nearly dropped the cake. "Consistently the best coach in the bay area"- that's from Radnich, 2010. Happy New Year everyone.