Forty-five years is enough. We make decisions for ourselves. What others think is none of our business unless we have been hurtful which she has not. Go well, Tara, great job!

I think Tara’s retirement is moreso related to the Pac 12 dissolving and the travel involved with being a member of the ACC. That travel schedule is brutal. The PAC 12 is the only conference she’s known and played a major part in building as the flagship program in the conference. To see it end had to be tough. There is actually a presser schedule today for Tara. In regards to Kiki, if she transfers, she will immediately upgrade that team. UConn and Notre Dame would be awesome fits for her. Geno runs very similar offense as Stanford. And the guards she can play with at either school is a dream scenario.

Great coach, great person, best wishes to Tara.

Amazing job Tara did. Let’s celebrate her, as you have here.

Geno needs to get Kiki asap

It was a combination of things probably. The biggest reason was probably her age and having to deal with playing in the ACC. Thats grueling even for a player. She has a storied career and can retire with her head held high.

I checked the portal list yesterday, and Kiki Iriafen wasn't on it. If she enters the portal, Stanford will have to rebuild. The losses of Brink and Iriafen would be devastating to Stanford's program. That would definitely be a reason for why Vanderveer might want to call it a career.

I think it’s just because of her age… plus her winning record past Coach K and is a legend. She deserves to enjoy her life other than basketball. If Kiki is transferring, Stanford will be hard next season and needs a serious recruiting and rebuilding.

Kiki Iriafan is a California girl. She will play with JuJu or with the other Kiki Rice at UCLA!

If Kiki hits the portal, she is from LA. UCLA or USC would have to be in the mix. How about Kiki and JuJu in a pick and roll next season; w/ young talent all around them?

the minute Brink did the interview saying she was foregoing Covid year because of upcoming travel everyone knew Tara would be leaving after the collapse of Pac

If Kiki does transfer, I'd bet on UCLA. Two or three of their possible 4s are injured/leaving, and she played with Betts at Stanford.

I think she will eventually hit the portal but not this year, she would fit nicely in Notre Dame with extremely talented guards. They would easily be a final 4 team

I was wondering this myself. Between losing Betts last year and then now Kiki, maybe Tara just said enough is enough. She has an old school coaching style of tough love obviously and it's starting to wear out its welcome,

Tara VanDerveer's retirement is stunning by its seeming suddenness. Now the rumors surrounding KikI Iriafen is truly devastating for their program unless Tara's successor is gonna do a brilliant job acquiring talent from the transfer portal. I have no idea where and if Kiki will transfer to. I would say that ND would have an advantage bc a few ex Stanford players have gone there over the yrs and really flourished. Btw there is also a crazy rumor out there that HVL will transfer into Stanford this summer.

UofA would love to have Kiki!!!

Got to wonder why Tara added those lines in her retirement speech re: the incredible notables some of her former players had as Stanford mentors for their respective majors. Did she hear rumors already by then? As sad as all this portal mess has become (thanks to the NCAA's actions in the last decades towards the student-athletes), one has to admire how a certain Caitlin Clark that could be a real chump at times on the court, stuck around and even got others to return for a grad year, all to create a special last couple of years at Iowa - a team mind you without any other 5 star players - just CC. Kiki would have been the # 2 pick next year IMHO no matter how many triple team games she would face in 24-25....that's how special she is. It was to be her team to lead - surely the NIL at Stanford is strong - Lord knows the education is one of the best in the world. So....besides the implosion of a program like Oregon State, this player entering the portal is one of the saddest realities of this whole mess.

UConn would be absolutely perfect! They would be the beast to topple SC. Plus with Edwards going pro, she could step right into their front court.

I hope Kiki goes to ND although if she stays, she could be the first pick in next year's draft..

I believe the time limit for declaring for the WNBA draft has passed, but maybe they’d make an exception for Kiki Iriafen, considering the circumstances. I see that she was born in 2002, which makes her age-eligible to declare for the WNBA draft in 2024. I think she’d be a bottom first round pick this year. Unless trades have been made, getting picked in the bottom of a round usually means going to a better team. As far as transferring, I dunno. What’s more important to her, staying in sunny California with your teammate/friends during the winter and finishing up that Stanford degree (when you have a Stanford degree, you can work anywhere you want) or chasing a chance at a championship??

Hey, Back 2 Sports fans: I compiled a list of what I call, "The Bottom 11." These are the eleven teams that have the most players in the transfer portal. That can be good or bad, I suppose, depending on the teams record in 2023-24. In any case, the biggest loser is Morehead State(10 players in the portal). After that, Kentucky, Alabama A and M, and Arkansas Pine-Bluff all have 9 players in the portal. Rounding out the bottom eleven are: Canisius, New Orleans, La Salle, Cal State Northridge, Alabama State, Appalachian State and Arkansas State - all having 8 players in the portal. Coaching changes may have caused some of these max exoduses, or possibly the need for a coaching change.

She should go to either USC team, UConn or Norfolk State.

So Back 2 Sports who is your most surprising entrant into the transfer portal? Mine is Lucy Olsen of Villanova. Almost 10 schools have checked in on her to gage availability/interest. These schools include Stanford and UCONN.

Kiki will go to the grad program that’s access her. She isn’t really a transfer. She graduates from Stanford with bachelor’s and now goes for her masters

I think if she gets into the portal, she is USC bound. Her and JuJu...lawd.

Iriafen is an LA girl so it’s logical that UCLA and USC would be the favorites both quality programs, both with exceptional academic reputations. See either one of those rather than to my Huskies or Duke.

A UConn fan wanting someone to enter the portal and choose them 😊

There's an Iriafen-sized hole in the middle at Duke. Kara's building something great. Let a few of the incoming freshmen learn from Kiki for a year while she does her thing and leads Duke in 2025.

Tara never could counter the opponents' game plan: Induce Cameron and Kiki to hack their way to the bench.

Kenny Brooks left Va Tech and Georgia Amore immediately enterd the portal. This is not uncommon.

Kiki come to South Carolina!! 😊

I think there is a good chance she wanted to retire on top. I think she knows Geno is going to pass her this year regardless and she would rather not be active when he catches her.

I think the schedule pushed her out but she may just be tired

Notre Dame would be a great fit.

all conference level college player from tranfer portal is more important than recruiting a high school kid imo

The G.O.A.T. Say goodbye, is Dawn Staley leaving Carolina? I don’t think so even with leave at the top thing, Dawn is going to be at Carolina for some time still. Tara may be retiring because Southern Cal, U.C.L.A. And all those other teams on the west coast are much much much better than in the past.

I imagine it was because she retired is why player went to portal... most great players will not play for a new coach and will look for a team that will get her to the WNBA

If anything, I think it's the other way around. Tara retiring is what makes Kiki far more likely to leave, if she wasn't going to already. In general, I think the prospect of coaching/playing for Stanford in the ACC is just really undesirable.

if sarah strong hadn’t commit to uconn i’d be praying she came to uconn but i think if she did come she may interfere with sarah’s development

UConn!

She's not in the portal yet.

Kiki game is more like Aja Wilson

Kiki + Lucy + UConn = 12

Kiki is a smaller Aja Wilson. What about UCLA to remain close to home?

I didn’t realize that Kiki earned her degree already. Still, she and her family would probably want her to do graduate studies at Stanford. UConn, please. Sorry for sounding like a snob- I went to Syracuse, not an Ivy League level by any means- but she shouldn’t take a step down. Duke would okay, thing, but I hope she stays with Stanford.

Tara most likely left de to the PAC 12 demise.

Rumor has it (tara v.) is trying to bring in the four point half court shot like the Harlem globetrotters are doing good luck

4 reasons:1) she is just plain tired at 71( close) 2) reality no championship in near future as brinks leaves 3) the new conference and all that flying east ugh. 4) Nil plus academics maybe kiki leaves.... .but i really think sge was considering it after brinks gone.

KIKI to UCONN...🏀........................

Hmm. If she wants a National Championship she needs to head to Columbia South Carolina

Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watking would put USC back on the map. Bottom line for me is anybody but UConn and Geno Auriemma or east coast.

Tara also took a year off from coaching to coach the US Olympic Team. If Tara didn't do that, add approx. 20+ wins to total.

Don't be surprised if she goes to LSU

U better be prepared and reasonable once Geno retires and it’s Sarah’s strong turn to decide smh 😂

She retired because she is old and its time to retire...

UConn needs a veteran big in the worst way. Only true center they have is Jana, whose coming off an injury.

kiki iriafen at southern cal ???? or at UCLA

First Betts transfer now Kiki...Yikes

Kiki left because brink left and Candi left because Kiki left!! That simple

Maybe she’s just wants to do other things. Life is more than an orange round ball.

I think geno is gone after Paige is gone

What a stupid question??? Omg! A Hall of Fame Coach like Van Derveer wouldn't retire over 1 player transferring. If that's the case, she could've retired after Betts left. These coaches understand that in today's climate you'll lose some and you'll gain some. Maybe the move to the ACC and dissipation of Pac 12 weighed into her decision. More players will enter the portal. It's early

I think she retired because she had too much on her plate with having the responsiblty of her mother and all her work at Stanford. She needs a "wife".

Why would even make this piece your ridiculous. Tara could care less who left...your so off base on this.

If Kiki is in the portal, and UConn doesn’t call and gauge her interest. It proves that geno doesn’t know how to operate in the portal era. It would be proof he isn’t willing to do what is necessary anymore. She is an obvious upgrade. No excuse.

She would do well at SC