Tara VanDerveer would have much preferred not to wait through two tough losses to reach her 800th victory.
The way things turned out, she had a couple of stars from her first recruiting class right beside her to help celebrate once she reached the remarkable feat.
VanDerveer became the sixth women's coach to join the elite 800-wins club Wednesday night, doing so in her third try as the eighth-ranked Cardinal routed San Francisco 100-45 and former Stanford-greats-turned-coaches Jennifer Azzi and Katy Steding.
''I didn't plan it this way. I didn't want it this way, but it was so special to be here with Jennifer and Katy,'' VanDerveer said. ''They were part of a lot of wins.''
Kayla Pedersen scored her team's first eight points of the second half on the way to 16 and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds to lead Stanford (7-2), which was coming off losses last Thursday at No. 16 DePaul and then at fifth-ranked Tennessee on Sunday.
VanDerveer is 800-197 in 32 seasons as a head coach, 25 of those years at Stanford - where she is 648-146. Azzi embraced the Hall of Fame coach after the final buzzer sounded, then fans and players held up 800 signs reading ''Congratulations Tara.'' Azzi and Steding presented VanDerveer with flowers and the game ball in a ceremony at midcourt.
''Eight hundred's a lot of games,'' VanDerveer said. ''It's a little ironic with Jennifer and Katy. It's apropos it's with them. ... I'm just a little bit blown away about Jennifer and Katy being here and the large number.''
VanDerveer joins fellow 800-game winners Pat Summitt of Tennessee, former Texas coach Jody Conradt, Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer, Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina and Barbara Stevens - who won her 800th just this past Sunday for Division II Bentley University in Massachusetts.
VanDerveer beat a pair of familiar faces to reach the milestone, facing first-year USF coach and Hall of Famer Azzi and her associate head coach, Steding. The two women were part of Stanford's first NCAA title in 1990 and on the VanDerveer-coached 1996 Olympic team that won gold in Atlanta.
''It's kind of bittersweet for me and for Katy,'' Azzi said. ''I'm really excited for Tara tonight. She's the most brilliant mind in basketball. She had an impact on my life, not just as a coach but as a person. My career at Stanford is a lot of the reason I'm here. ... Giving her the ball was pretty incredible for us.''
''It's pretty awesome to play for a coach who has 800 wins under her belt,'' Pedersen added. ''She's pretty humble about it, but it's an incredible feat.''
Azzi, the Pac-10 player of the year in that 32-1 title run in '90, and Steding received a rousing ovation from the Stanford section when introduced. The coaches from both sides chatted before tipoff and were headed out for Mexican food afterward - Azzi's treat.
''The mold wasn't broken. Just more great players came along,'' VanDerveer said of the tradition Azzi and Steding helped start. ''I love it.''
Azzi didn't schedule this game, which was on the calendar before she was hired in April to take over the struggling Dons program. Her team is 2-10 - eight of those defeats blowouts - and lost its seventh straight game. USF dropped its 15th in a row against Stanford in the series dating to Dec. 15, 1984.
VanDerveer offered to talk to the Dons after this one, and Azzi sure appreciated the gesture on such a meaningful night.
The Cardinal, who have reached the Final Four the past three seasons, dropped five spots from third in this week's rankings after the two losses. They sure took care of this one.
''I'm really glad to be part of the history,'' Nneka Ogwumike said.
Stanford plays No. 4 Xavier on Tuesday at Maples Pavilion, several hours before top-ranked Connecticut goes for its 90th straight victory at Pacific in nearby Stockton. Then, the Huskies visit Stanford on Dec. 30 in a highly anticipated rematch of last season's national title game won 53-47 by UConn after Stanford led 20-12 at halftime.
The Cardinal are the last team to beat the Huskies, in the 2008 national semifinals in Tampa, Fla.
''We are going to have to play very, very well. That's kind of the idea,'' VanDerveer said.
