There’s no shortage of backpacks in the Ducks women’s basketball locker room in Matthew Knight Arena.
But one has a unique purpose.
Just below the team’s television, a backpack hangs on the wall—put there by first-year Oregon head coach Kelly Graves.
It’s a place for players and coaches to place meaningful mementos throughout the season—perhaps to represent obstacles conquered or breakout performances fulfilled that characterize what Graves hopes to build at Oregon.
Placed in front of the backpack is a drawing of a mountain. The backpack is a constant reminder of climbing towards Graves’ ultimate goal: being a Final Four program.
“I think it all helps build culture and that’s one of the things that will really help us,” Graves said, “so that they see we’re not just playing the next game.”
Just two weeks into Pac-12 play, the backpack already has two items: a bottle of Elmer’s Glue and a light bulb.
Graves said he’s still considering what might be appropriate for the team’s first Pac-12 victory of the season, a road win against UCLA.
Senior guard Marie Berthuel was the first player to suggest an item, a light bulb, after the arena lights popped off during the Northern Arizona game. The Elmer’s Glue reminds the players that they stuck together when they were down 23 points to Navy on Dec. 6, eventually coming out on top.
Graves — inspired by the idea of holding onto keepsakes after reading a book by Jon Gordon — encourages his players to decide collectively what’s placed inside.
“We’re not going to do it willy-nilly,” Graves said. “We’re not going to just do something for every game or any little moment.”
This year’s team will have experiences that teams three years from now will be able to reflect on and build upon, Graves said.
“We want this program to be something that they’re really proud of and in order to do that, they have to be invested, to be a part of that,” assistant coach Jodie Berry said.
The backpack is more than polyester embellished with a Nike swoosh. It’s a place for the team to seek out inspiring memories from the season. Berry said the team frequently considers what experiences are worthy of special recognition.
“It helps the team understand why we do things instead of just doing them without knowing the reason behind it,” junior forward Jillian Alleyne said.
There are plenty of ways to tell the story of a team: videos, journals and even statistic sheets. But guard Katelyn Loper said the backpack will remind future Ducks what moments were most important to the team in any given year.
“It’s fun to know we are the beginning of it,” Loper said. “It’s going to be fun to see over the rest of the season and years to come what people put in it.”
A senior, Loper will surely return to the Ducks’ locker room in future years and pause to see what mementos were chosen.
The backpack is a silent reminder of exclamation-type moments that the players and coaches hope will define Oregon women’s basketball in years to come.
“We just want something that allows our kids and our program to think about all the things it takes, all the effort and hard-work,” Berry said.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne