Jodie Berry says that she has 15 babysitters available for her 4-year-old son, Tyson.
And coincidentally, that’s the same number of student-athletes on the Oregon women’s basketball team.
Berry, an assistant coach to head coach Kelly Graves, often asks her players to babysit. They jump at the chance.
She called upon her infantry of nannies a couple of weeks ago when she had an evening obligation for the athletic department. Throughout the night, her phone blew up with text messages, videos and photos of her son and her players.
“It is so — as a Mom — refreshing and reassuring to know that he’s taken care of and I have no worries about him,” Berry said. “I think that’s what is so terrific about this team.”
Senior Amanda Delgado and junior Jacinta Vandenberg have quickly bonded with Berry and love spending time with her son. They even have his favorite meal combination figured out to a T: hot dogs, chicken nuggets and ketchup.
“It’s nice that Jodie trusts us with him and loves that we interact with him,” Delgado said. “It’s such a great feeling.”
Berry, who worked with Graves for 11 years at Gonzaga before coming to Oregon, said she has been impressed with how optimistic and encouraging the Eugene community has been towards the program. Berry, who has been around hundreds of student-athletes, particularly enjoys watching the young women grow, mature and find themselves both on and off the court.
“I think that you’re bringing these young women into your family. We recruit kids that are great character kids that we want to be around,” Berry said. “I have no problem saying, ‘Hey, will you watch my 4-year-old son,’ because I know them. I know in their core they have good values. They’re good people, and I trust that they would take care of him. I think that’s ultimately what you want. You want people that you want to be around.”
Berry’s husband, Eric, works in Seattle and commutes roughly three to four times a week up north from Eugene. As a result, there have been plenty of opportunities for day-care. Babysitting veterans include Ashley Campbell — fellow assistant coach Mark Campbell’s wife — as well as Graves’ son living in Eugene.
In Graves’ new vision for the team on the court, Berry will take the role as “offensive coordinator.”
“All the time we spend together on the road and she’s our details person,” Graves said. “When something has to get done, Jodie is the one who does it. She’s organized and kind of that mother-hen type, but at the same time has a really good offensive mind. She will call a lot of our sets.”
Perhaps nobody knows Graves better than Berry. At Gonzaga, Berry served as Graves’ top assistant in their final six years in Spokane.
Berry played at Western Washington University and left as the school’s career leader in 3-pointers (210) and free throw percentage (81.9).
“I think that’s why I’ve been with Kelly for long is because I truly love that man,” Berry said. “Somewhere between mentor, father-figure, brother, somewhere in there. Nothing is off the table.”
“I would do anything for him and I know he would do the same for me. We’ve been through marriages, deaths, births, birthdays — everything together. I think because we’ve struggled, we want the best for each other and that’s our hope for the program here.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
