Graves chooses to stay at Gonzaga
Gonzaga University women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves canceled a Saturday afternoon interview at Oregon State University and called GU athletic director Mike Roth Saturday morning to tell him he was staying.
“I really like it here. This is where I want to be,” Graves said after informing his staff of his decision. “I had that feeling all the time. I don’t know why I continued to listen (to other offers). I guess it’s just nice to know (someone wants you).
“I guess I wanted to look and they (OSU) wanted me to look.”
OSU is looking for a replacement for Judy Spoelsta, who was fired last month after the Beavers went 6-23 and finished last in the Pacific-10 Conference. Graves met with OSU officials in Portland three weeks ago and remained a candidate when OSU officials pared down their list after the Women’s Final Four.
Gonzaga made an offer to Graves about 10 days ago, which he considered while on vacation. As a private school, Gonzaga does not have to reveal terms of the deal, but Graves said it is a multiyear offer with a few details to be ironed out.
GU is 80-69 in Graves’ five years, including 28-4 this past season, when the coach earned his second West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award and the Russell Athletic/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region 8 Coach of the Year award.
Graves had voiced frustration after GU was left out of the NCAA Tournament despite a record of 27-3 (before the Women’s National Invitation Tournament). GU’s third loss was in the WCC Tournament championship game, which cost the Bulldogs the conference’s automatic NCAA berth. The Zags were 14-0 in WCC play, winning by an average of more than 18 points a game. Five teams from the Pac-10 made the NCAA field.
GU played in the NIT for the second straight year, beating Brigham Young at McCarthey Athletic Center before losing at eventual champion Southwest Missouri State.
“I’m not sure I want to rebuild another program,” said Graves, who came to GU after three years at Saint Mary’s and six as an assistant at Portland, both WCC rivals. “It’s been four (counting junior college) programs and I haven’t had time to sit back and enjoy them. I think we’re going to be pretty good next year.”
There were about 20 high-profile job openings in women’s basketball and Graves’ name has come up at several. He immediately dismissed interest in Colorado and he was recently called by an outside contact to judge his interest in the University of California.
OSU was intriguing because his wife Mary has family in Portland.
“She’s been real supportive, but she’s really happy. She loves it here,” Graves said of his wife. “This is where I want to be. We still want to improve and we still have goals to meet. I think we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve taken steps every year.”
Graves has a 146-95 record as a Division I head coach. The 80 wins are the most for a GU women’s coach. The Bulldogs were 5-23 in his first year, including 0-14 in the WCC.