Tara VanDerveer retirement: Three biggest questions Stanford faces as Cardinal enter Kate Paye era
Paye, formerly the team’s associate head coach, will follow VanDerveer’s legendary footsteps at Stanford
Tara VanDerveer’s retirement means she will have more time to play bridge with her mom and go water skiing. However, the legendary coach’s departure does leave some questions regarding the future of Stanford women’s basketball.
VanDeveer’s retirement after 38 years at the helm of the program is happening at the same time conference realignment is taking Stanford to the ACC. Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and top WNBA Draft prospect Cameron Brink said one of the reasons she decided to not return to college one more season was because she didn’t want to have to travel across the country with an ACC schedule. Even with VanDerveer staying, it is likely some players were already thinking about their options. With her leaving, there is a lot more to think about.
However, Kate Paye — formerly the team’s associate head coach — will be taking over, so the Cardinal won’t exactly be rebuilding from the ground up. Here is a closer look at the top three questions Stanford faces following VanDerveer’s retirement.
1. Will Kiki Iriafen stay?
With Brink leaving for the WNBA, the Cardinal will be relying on Kiki Iriafen even more than before. The junior forward led Stanford with 19.4 points and 11 rebounds a season ago, and she is projected to be the veteran leader for a team that will also lose guard Hannah Jump in 2024-25.
Questions have arose about whether Iriafen will choose to stay at Stanford without VanDerveer or if she would rather move onto a program dealing with less moving parts. Iriafen’s hometown is Los Angeles, so USC or UCLA would be convenient destinations for her if she decided to leave.
Iriafen has not announced anything in regard to her future. In fact, she seems to want to keep her decision quiet for now, but during her press conference Wednesday, VanDerveer seemed to assume that Iriafen will stick around.
“What Kiki did, I will say that tonight in our banquet: ‘Copy Kiki.'” VanDerveer said of Iriafen’s growth. “The numbers are incredible. The confidence that she has shown and the leadership that she has shown. I think that other players want to come and play with her and they’ve expressed that to me. I will always be Kiki’s coach. Kate might get her for one year but I’ve had her for three, and I’ve loved it.”
