A native of Chautauqua, New York, VanDerveer was a four-year letter-winner in basketball at the College of Charleston, serving as team captain as a senior and graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science and English in 1986.
VanDerveer began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee under Pat Summitt, where she helped guide the Volunteers to the 1987 NCAA National Championship and the Final Four in 1988.
She had to briefly serve as the acting head coach at San Francisco after Mary Hile-Nepfel was unable to perform her day-to-day duties due to medical restrictions.
[2] She returned to the WNBA in 2006 as an assistant with the Seattle Storm, before serving as the associate head coach at San Diego State for Beth Burns.
She is the younger sister of Tara VanDerveer, who had been head coach of the Stanford women's basketball team for 38 seasons.