Step aside, Coach K. Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer is the new winningest basketball coach in NCAA history. The Stanford women’s basketball team beat Oregon State 65-66 at Maples Pavilion to give VanDerveer her 1,203rdd career victory, passing former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski. She said, “I’m very appreciative of all the great players I’ve coached and the great places I’ve been and the attention this brought to women’s basketball. I’m not always really comfortable in the limelight, but I understand that that kind of goes with the job.”

Krzyzewski, who held the record since 2019, issued a statement congratulating VanDerveer after the game. He said, “This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball. This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy. More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

Playing without star forward Cameron Brink, who suffered a knee injury in a win against Oregon, the Cardinal put aside a slow start to ensure VanDerveer would break the record in front of a home crowd. VanDerveer said, “I told our team, I said, ‘This is what feels like winning a national championship.’ You’re just so excited, and you’re so happy. I would like to build on this and get better.”

Junior Kiki Iriafen had a dominant performance for the Cardinal, finishing with a career-high 36 points and 12 rebounds, while Talana Lepolo added 14 points. Lepolo said there were some nerves playing in front of a packed gym and a sense of responsibility to win to allow their coach to be honored at home with two road games ahead. Roughly 30 of VanDerveer’s former players, including Jayne Appel, Jennifer Azzi, Ros Gold-Onwude and Chiney Ogwumike, were among the 7,022 fans in attendance to celebrate the achievement. Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was also on hand.

After falling behind 29-28 early in the third quarter, Stanford closed the quarter on a 22-14 run to take control going into the fourth. Oregon State didn’t seriously threaten the rest of the way. Krzyzewski was one of several dignitaries connected to Stanford or the sport of basketball who spoke in a video presentation to congratulate VanDerveer after the game. Others who spoke included former tennis player Billie Jean King, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, longtime WNBA star Lisa Leslie, Ogwumike and Azzi.

VanDerveer, 70, is in her 38th season at Stanford after previous stints as the head coach at Idaho (1978-80) and Ohio State (1980-1985). The five-time national coach of the year has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, 2021), 14 Final Fours, 25 Pac-12 regular-season titles and 34 trips to the NCAA tournament.