Tara VanDerveer’s departure from being the head coach for the Stanford University women’s basketball team left behind a huge vacuum at Stanford. One which the Cardinals happily filled with a former WNBA player and an alumnus of Stanford, Kate Paye. Making Paye the fifth head coach in the history of the program.

However, what is this standout coach’s net worth?

While Paye’s salary and contract have not been disclosed by Stanford, her predecessor VanDerveer was paid $3.42 million per year in 2022; according to the tax filings of Stanford report from the same year. Paye’s new designation as the newly named Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women’s Basketball as of April 2024 may be compensated comparatively if not equally considering the years of experience she has acquired as Vanderveer’s Assistant Coach.

Although, Paye’s career started with the Cardinals as a player in the 1992 national championship team, what makes her right for the role was the time she spent as associate head coach of the program under Tara Vanderveer’s leadership. Under her leadership, Stanford brought nine Final Four appearances and a national title in 2021.

In fact, the work she did with Stanford’s guards produced six first-round WNBA draftees and multiple All-American honorees, making her one of college basketball’s most respected coaches. This would also make her a natural pick to fill Tara Vanderveer’s Shoes. Thus, Coach Paye was named the Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women’s Basketball, in April 2024,  and is now all set to lead Stanford with the same passion and excellence that has long been its hallmark, thereby building upon her predecessor’s monumental legacy.

Speaking of legacy Tara VanDerveer’s remarkable 38-year tenure at Stanford was set on one principle. “Winning was a byproduct. I’ve loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life.” And Kate Paye her protege shares and brings this very same sentiment into her new role.

From player to head coach: Kate Paye’s unique journey at Stanford

This is also reflected in Paye’s Stanford history. She was a player in the early ’90s and part of the Cardinal’s national championship team in 1992, establishing herself as a very capable athlete as well as a student. This sharp-minded strategist played a pivotal role as Stanford’s point guard for several winning seasons until earning her degree in political science in 1995.

From there, Paye’s journey took an interesting twist. She pursued law and business first instead of staying in sports, earning a Juris Doctorate and MBA from Stanford. This unconventional path gave her a unique perspective when she returned to basketball as a coach, eventually serving as VanDerveer’s associate head coach for nearly two decades.

In fact, Paye would also win the Division I Assistant Coach of the Year award twice.

With a strong tie to Stanford, and her being the protege to the most successful coaches in the league, in Tara VanDerveer, Paye is all set to lead Stanford’s program with the passion, and commitment that has defined Cardinal women’s basketball for so long.