STANFORD – Even while far from Stanford’s pristine Bay Area campus, Tara VanDerveer keeps herself busy on vacation.

The legendary former Cardinal women’s basketball coach water skis in the morning, creates lesson plans for her upcoming class at Stanford, and keeps an eye on her new yellow Labrador as the puppy frolics along the lakeside.

But come 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, nothing will keep VanDerveer from finding a television to watch her former player, Cameron Brink, play against the hometown Valkyries for the first time.

The 6-foot-5 post will play in just her fourth game since coming back from a devastating knee injury that cut her rookie year short after just 15 games.

“It was devastating to see her get hurt, and I’m so excited that she’s back,” VanDerveer, 72, told the Bay Area News

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