Kelly Graves has attended many Final Four games over the years, but this one is a bit different for the former Gonzaga women’s head coach and current Oregon women’s head coach.
That has to do with a person sitting on the bench.
"It lets me let my hair down. I know I don’t have a lot of it, but I let my hair down a little bit when I can just sit back and relax and watch somebody else," Graves said.
It’s also easy to relax when you’re watching one of the best teams in the country and your son, in this case Kelly’s son, Will, is along for the ride.
"I’m a parent, and I act like a parent out there. I’m not critiquing. I’m not going, ‘Wow, they should change defenses here or they should do this or they should do that.’ I’m just a fan, and it kind of feels good," Graves said with a laugh.
There’s also not a lot to critique, according to Graves.
"I would encourage every coach regardless of level, save your money on buying all these instructional videos. Just tape every Gonzaga game. That's how you should play," Graves said.
Kelly’s son Will is a walk-on, so he hasn’t gotten to play much during this tournament run, but that doesn’t matter to Kelly.
"Listen, he doesn’t have as big of a role as some of those other players, but his championship ring, if that’s what they end up getting, will be the same as Corey and Jalen and everybody else," Graves said.
At the end of the day, Will is carrying on a time honored tradition in the Graves family, and that, along with the team he’s playing for, makes Kelly happy.
"This is what we do in the Graves household in the spring. It’s March Madness. We experience the highs and lows of this time of year and right now we are experiencing quite a high," Graves said.
