Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photography
Berry "The Glue" For UO Women
03/24/18 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
Assistant coach Jodie Berry has been critical to helping Kelly Graves build dominant programs at Gonzaga and now Oregon, which faces Central Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN).
SPOKANE, Wash. — Kelly Graves is experiencing a homecoming this weekend, and so too is the Oregon head coach's professional partnership with long-time assistant Jodie Berry.
They make an odd pair at first sight, the towering, easygoing Graves and the diminutive spark-plug Berry. But it's a pairing that's worked across multiple decades at multiple stops, beginning 15 years ago in Spokane, where the Ducks will face Central Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN).
Graves had been head coach at Gonzaga for three years when his friend Gordy Presnell, now head coach at Boise State, called to recommend that Graves find a job for Berry. Presnell had been head coach at Seattle Pacific when Berry was playing guard for conference rival Western Washington; Berry led the Vikings to four D-II tournament appearances, and Presnell respected her enough to invite her to coach at his summer camps.
When Presnell mentioned Berry's name, Graves immediately recalled watching her play for Federal Way (Wash.) High School.
"She's like 5-foot-nothing," Graves recalled. "She wore baggy, baggy shorts that went all the way past her knees. She wore knee pads, and these high tube socks with the double stripes on top — old school. She looked, seriously, like she was 12 years old. But she was a killer on the court."
All these years later, Berry remains by Graves' side, first for 11 seasons at Gonzaga, and now the last four with the Ducks. When Graves accepted the Oregon job in 2014, he sat down with Berry and offered her the chance to join him — with the understanding she may want to remain at the school where she'd put down roots.
"You tell me what you want to do," Graves said.
"I didn't have to hesitate," she recalled. "I said right away, 'I'll follow you anywhere. Let's go do this.' "
The Graves-Berry dynamic works because they complement each other; he's the big-picture strategist, she minds the details. UO junior Oti Gildon calls Berry "like the team mom" to each and every Ducks player. "We all go to her if we need anything," Gildon said.
It works because Graves is family oriented, and welcomed Berry into his circle. When Graves' youngest son, Will, was playing baseball in first grade, Graves was the coach, and Berry his assistant. It works too because Berry has the quick wit to keep up with Graves: "He's the kind of guy where, the second you come back at him a little bit, flipping his stuff back at him, he's like, 'OK, I like it,' " she said.
And it works because Berry isn't saddled with the unheeded ambition that marks some in the profession, who seem more concerned with scheming for their next job than thriving in their present one. "I couldn't see myself working with anybody else," she said.
Berry established that about herself from the get-go, toiling for two years in an unpaid position at Gonzaga before a full-time assistant job opened up. Current Colorado coach JR Payne left the Gonzaga staff to work for, coincidentally, Presnell at Boise State. With a position available, Graves was able to reward Berry's selflessness.
"It was a no-brainer," he said. "She had earned it. It's hard; sometimes these young assistants, they want a lot early. And you gotta pay your dues sometimes. Jodie certainly did that."
Berry was bitten by the basketball bug early. One of two sisters, she was daddy's girl. With that came an early interest in sports.
At Federal Way, Berry won a state title as a junior. At Western Washington, she was a two-time all-league player. When her college career ended, she didn't want to leave basketball behind.
"I've always enjoyed the game," she said. "I'm short and slow, which is a bad combination when you play basketball. So I felt like I had to learn the game more. I had to study. And that side of the game really intrigued me."
By happenstance, Graves needed a staff member to help with the post players when Berry first joined the Gonzaga staff. All these years later, the former "5-foot-nothing" guard still assists with the bigs at Oregon.
"It's crazy; she's so little," Gildon said. "But if you play with her, she's pretty feisty. She can move you."
"The reality is," Berry said, "post play is about footwork and technique. If you can figure out how to teach those things correctly, then anybody can teach them."
To Graves, however, Berry's value transcends skill work with players.
"She's the glue that keeps our whole program together, and she was the glue at Gonzaga," he said. "I tell people all the time, 'Don't ask me, call Jodie.' She can just get things done."
They make an odd pair at first sight, the towering, easygoing Graves and the diminutive spark-plug Berry. But it's a pairing that's worked across multiple decades at multiple stops, beginning 15 years ago in Spokane, where the Ducks will face Central Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN).
Graves had been head coach at Gonzaga for three years when his friend Gordy Presnell, now head coach at Boise State, called to recommend that Graves find a job for Berry. Presnell had been head coach at Seattle Pacific when Berry was playing guard for conference rival Western Washington; Berry led the Vikings to four D-II tournament appearances, and Presnell respected her enough to invite her to coach at his summer camps.
When Presnell mentioned Berry's name, Graves immediately recalled watching her play for Federal Way (Wash.) High School.
"She's like 5-foot-nothing," Graves recalled. "She wore baggy, baggy shorts that went all the way past her knees. She wore knee pads, and these high tube socks with the double stripes on top — old school. She looked, seriously, like she was 12 years old. But she was a killer on the court."
All these years later, Berry remains by Graves' side, first for 11 seasons at Gonzaga, and now the last four with the Ducks. When Graves accepted the Oregon job in 2014, he sat down with Berry and offered her the chance to join him — with the understanding she may want to remain at the school where she'd put down roots.
"You tell me what you want to do," Graves said.
"I didn't have to hesitate," she recalled. "I said right away, 'I'll follow you anywhere. Let's go do this.' "
The Graves-Berry dynamic works because they complement each other; he's the big-picture strategist, she minds the details. UO junior Oti Gildon calls Berry "like the team mom" to each and every Ducks player. "We all go to her if we need anything," Gildon said.
It works because Graves is family oriented, and welcomed Berry into his circle. When Graves' youngest son, Will, was playing baseball in first grade, Graves was the coach, and Berry his assistant. It works too because Berry has the quick wit to keep up with Graves: "He's the kind of guy where, the second you come back at him a little bit, flipping his stuff back at him, he's like, 'OK, I like it,' " she said.
And it works because Berry isn't saddled with the unheeded ambition that marks some in the profession, who seem more concerned with scheming for their next job than thriving in their present one. "I couldn't see myself working with anybody else," she said.
Berry established that about herself from the get-go, toiling for two years in an unpaid position at Gonzaga before a full-time assistant job opened up. Current Colorado coach JR Payne left the Gonzaga staff to work for, coincidentally, Presnell at Boise State. With a position available, Graves was able to reward Berry's selflessness.
"It was a no-brainer," he said. "She had earned it. It's hard; sometimes these young assistants, they want a lot early. And you gotta pay your dues sometimes. Jodie certainly did that."
Berry was bitten by the basketball bug early. One of two sisters, she was daddy's girl. With that came an early interest in sports.
At Federal Way, Berry won a state title as a junior. At Western Washington, she was a two-time all-league player. When her college career ended, she didn't want to leave basketball behind.
"I've always enjoyed the game," she said. "I'm short and slow, which is a bad combination when you play basketball. So I felt like I had to learn the game more. I had to study. And that side of the game really intrigued me."
By happenstance, Graves needed a staff member to help with the post players when Berry first joined the Gonzaga staff. All these years later, the former "5-foot-nothing" guard still assists with the bigs at Oregon.
"It's crazy; she's so little," Gildon said. "But if you play with her, she's pretty feisty. She can move you."
"The reality is," Berry said, "post play is about footwork and technique. If you can figure out how to teach those things correctly, then anybody can teach them."
To Graves, however, Berry's value transcends skill work with players.
"She's the glue that keeps our whole program together, and she was the glue at Gonzaga," he said. "I tell people all the time, 'Don't ask me, call Jodie.' She can just get things done."
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballKatie Fiso: "Stay tuned."
Wednesday, October 15
Ari Long: "Making sure to never be satisfied."
Wednesday, October 15
Kelly Graves: "I really like what I see."
Wednesday, October 15
Kelly Graves | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
