Tara VanDerveer coached the 1996 United States women’s Olympic basketball team.
The Atlanta Games team was built around leading American players including Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, and Dawn Staley. VanDerveer guided the group through the Olympic tournament as the United States retained its position at the top of women’s international basketball.
VanDerveer was already an established college coaching giant when she took charge of the Olympic team. Her Stanford teams had made her known for disciplined offense, strong fundamentals, and sustained success, qualities that translated effectively to a short international tournament.
The 1996 team later became historically important beyond its gold medal. Its players helped raise the profile of women’s basketball in the United States during the period surrounding the launch of the WNBA. The team itself entered the 2026 Hall of Fame class, while VanDerveer’s coaching role remains a separate fact about that Olympic squad.