SPOKANE, Wash. — If you’ve followed Gonzaga basketball for awhile, there’s a familiar last name on this year’s men’s basketball roster.
"This was his dream school," said Kelly Graves of his son, Will. "He always wanted to go to Gonzaga. Obviously spending the majority of his life up here, this was a dream."
Will Graves is the son of Kelly Graves, who was the Gonzaga women’s head coach for 14 years before taking the same job at Oregon.
"I’ve been a Gonzaga fan my whole life," said Will. "Even though I moved away, I never became distant with the team. Just being back here and being on the court instead of being in the stands is something I’ve always wanted to do."
Graves joined the Zags this fall as a walk-on after playing last year for a community college.
He had to prove himself before the offer though.
"When he played with the guys this summer, I think he did pretty good. Mark asked him if he would like to walk on and that made his forever," said Kelly with a big smile. "He was really excited and so it was a no brainer."
"It’s been awesome to be able to come here in such a family atmosphere," said Will. "I grew up here. Just being back with all the people I grew up with and adding more brothers with the team and the amazing coaching staff, all around it’s been great."
It’s also been a great experience for Kelly, both as a coach and as a parent.
"I admire coach Few and his whole staff so much. They do such a great job. The fact that they continue to win at a high, high rate, is a testament to how he runs a program. As a parent, I was really, really happy that Will came here," Kelly said.
His coaching job limits how much Kelly can be just a parent in the stands, but Will values every moment has dad can make it up to Spokane.
"I just think they’re super proud of me," Will said of his parents. "I know he tries to come up here as much as he can with his busy schedule which means a lot to me. He’ll fly day of and leave the morning after which is pretty awesome."
Will grew up on Gonzaga’s court. Now, he’s getting to play on it.
It’s a full circle moment for the Graves family, and it’s one they’ll cherish forever.
"The first time I saw it, in fact I’m kind of getting choked up right now, it brought tears to my eyes," said Kelly of seeing Will in a Gonzaga uniform. "I loved Gonzaga. I loved my time here. I loved everything about Spokane and the people here and obviously the Gonzaga fans. To see him in that uniform is really pretty special. It’s really special for our whole family. We’re still Zags at heart. I work for the Ducks and I love the Ducks and I am a Duck, but at the same time we’ll always be Zags and Zag fans."