Charim Smith was nearing the end of a basketball playing career that had taken her from her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, to Stanford and five years in the Women’s National Basketball Association. It was time to figure out what to do next.

She held civil and environmental engineering degrees and figured she would build bridges for a company that could offer steady employment.  Ms. Smith even went on a few interviews for jobs as a project manager, but her heart and stomach weren’t in it. She got nauseous during those interviews and felt like it was the last place she wanted to be. She needed to talk to someone to sort things out. She needed advice from her college coach at Stanford, Tara VanDerveer. 

“I said to Tara, ‘I don’t really know what I want to do. I’m not really ready to walk away.’”

Ms. VanDerveer didn’t hesitate with her response. “Charim, I think you would be a really good coach,” she told her former player.

“No, I don’t want to coach,” Ms. Smith said. “I’ve never wanted to coach.”

“I think you should give it a try,” Ms. VanDerveer insisted.

Stanford’s head women’s basketball coach began making calls, and in 2003 Ms. Smith began her coaching career as an assistant at Boston College. The Eagles won the Big East Championship that year and Ms. Smith has been coaching ever since. Two decades later, she is in her fifth season as the head coach of the California Golden Bears women’s team. She is part of a basketball legacy that is about to make history. Ms. VanDerveer is on the verge of passing Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the winningest college basketball coach of all time.

Stanford defeated Oregon 88-63 Friday night in Palo Alto, giving Ms. VanDerveer 1,202 career wins, tying Mr. Krzyzewski’s record. She can set her record Sunday when Stanford plays Oregon State before heading out to Arizona, where the Cardinals play at Arizona State on Jan. 26 and at Arizona on Jan. 28.

Ever focused on the next game, Ms. VanDerveer hasn’t reflected much on her upcoming date with history. “I guess I don’t allow myself to go there,” Ms. VanDerveer told reporters after Friday’s game. “I want to do a great job for our team. It’s a number. I know it’s a big number. But it’s not the point of what I’m doing at all.”

If Ms. VanDerveer doesn’t want to make much of her achievement, those impacted by her are eager to honor her legacy,  people like Ms. Smith, who played for Ms. VanDerveer from 1993 to 1997 and served as her assistant coach from 2004-2007.  She’s part of Ms. VanDerveer’s extensive coaching tree grown from 38 years at Stanford and another seven years that included stops at Ohio State and Idaho.

Ms. VanDerveer, 70, is already a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (2011) and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2002), and a five-time national coach of the year with national championships in 1990, 1992, and 2021 and 14 Final Four appearances. Being the all-time winningest college coach, period warrants a celebration. Many alumni and former players will be in Palo Alto on Sunday hoping to witness history.

“Not everyone gets to be a part of something so monumental,” Ms. Smith told the Sun. “Similar to how every men’s basketball player feels about Coach K, I’m really honored to be a part of this legacy.”

So is Ms. VanDerveer’s younger sister, Heidi VanDerveer, the head women’s coach at the University of San Diego. An accomplished coach in her own right, Heidi VanDerveer is in her 12^th season at San Diego after serving as a former WNBA Coach, Olympic team scout, and former assistant to the legendary Pat Summitt at Tennessee. Big sister has been a valuable coaching resource along the way.

“This is a testament to somebody who didn’t start out looking for records and still doesn’t,” Heidi VanDerveer told the Sun. “And it’s a testament to hard work, consistency, and passion and all the things that go into being great at anything.”

Ms. Smith was a young girl from St. Louis when she went to Palo Alto to play for a coach that had won two national championships. During her four years as a player, Ms. Smith endured the tough love it took to become a better person, player, and ultimately a future coach.

“I was made a better player because I had to deal with adversity,” Ms. Smith said. “You had to earn everything you got. She made me figure out how to work harder for the things that I wanted. I sat on the bench for two years at Stanford and rarely went into games. I wanted to play, but she wasn’t going to give me playing time until I figured out what she wanted from me. That’s something that’s lost on a lot of athletes today.  They need immediate success. With Tara sometimes it’s not immediate. But it sure does feel good when you earn it and you get there because you truly know everything that it took to get to where you wanted to be.”

Lindy LaRocque, the head women’s basketball coach at Nevada-Las Vegas, played for Ms. VanDerveer from 2009-2012 and served as her assistant coach from 2017-2020.  She called Ms. VanDerveer the biggest influence in her life next to her parents.

“I’m so grateful to have her be a major part in so many of my personal milestones, as a young kid and an adult,” Ms. LaRocque told the Sun. “I can’t even begin to put into words her full impact on my life and career. She’s been there for me every step of the way.”

Ms. VanDerveer’s eagerness to support others is something heard over and over again when speaking to those fortunate to absorb her knowledge. Teaching and coaching are her passions.

“She’s an open book,” Heidi VanDerveer said of her sister. “She’s always willing to help people whether it’s people that have played for her or worked with her or even people she competes against. She’s always trying to help people whether they’re in the conference or the coaching tree or me.”

There should be a bigger fuss made about Ms. VanDerveer passing Mr. Krzyzewski. It was practically a holiday when Coach K retired at the end of the 2022 season. Ms. VanDerveer’s coaching tree is making sure she doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Tara will tell you that her achieving this accomplishment as the winningest head coach ever is a testament to all her staff and players, but really she is the common denominator,” Ms. LaRocque said. “She has been leading young women for a long time and has done it with grace and class in every win she’s tallied. There is no one more deserving of the ultimate recognition and honor.”

Maybe it’s starting to sink in.  “I’m really thankful I get to have a job that’s not a JOB,” Tara VanDerveer said. “I love coming to the gym. Just to experience this is more than I ever could have dreamed of.”