Who is Kate Paye? Meet Stanford's new HC replacing legendary coach Tara VanDerveer post retirement

Kate Paye was named Stanford Cardinal women's basketball coach on Tuesday. She will take the place of legendary coach Tara VanDerveer, who announced her retirement last week.

The 50-year-old Paye, who was the Cardinal's associate head coach for eight years, will be formally introduced as head coach on Wednesday.

Immediately, Paye will have adjustments to do next season as Stanford will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. She describes the change as a challenge and is well-prepared for the chance.

"I feel extremely well-prepared for the opportunity. I think that's one of the reasons I've always wanted to be at Stanford, because this place is special," she said.

With this, let's take a closer look at the new coach as she tries to guide Stanford to a new NCAA women's basketball campaign without Tara VanDerveer.

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Kate Paye was a Stanford lifer

Paye (third from left) looks on as Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer talks about strategies for the team.

Paye was a Stanford lifer, as she was born at the university's hospital. She was a member of the Cardinal team that won the 1992 national championship. The Woodside, California, native also helped the team earn an appearance in the 1995 NCAA Final Four.

A two-time team captain, Paye was selected to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team three times and won the team's Best Defensive Player award in 1994.

She joined Stanford's coaching staff in 2007-08 after multiple assistant coaching stints with San Diego State and Pepperdine. Paye also played professionally with Seattle Reign in the ABL in 1996-1998 and the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm from 2000-02.

During his year on the Cardinal's sidelines, Paye was in charge of the team's defense and nine of the program's best defensive scoring averages were made during his tenure. That includes the 2012-13 season where Stanford's defense held teams to all-time lows of 51.9 points per game and 31.6% field-goal percentage.

She also played a major part in the team's recruitment efforts, which landed top prospects in Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike and Haley Jones. Paye also had a hand in developing current WNBA players Kiana Williams, Karlie Samuelson, Amber Orrange and Candice Wiggins.

She was selected as two-time Division I Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2024 to become the only mentor to win the award multiple times.

Paye had a decorated career as an assistant coach, and she hopes to bring them to action while securing the job as VanDerveer's replacement as Stanford's head coach.

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Will Kate Paye help Stanford resume its storied run in women's basketball? Let's know in the comments section below.