ORINDA, Calif. — Look closely at Oregon’s routine and you’ll see plays, drills and ideas derived from many of the people Kelly Graves has met during his years coaching basketball.
He’s constantly learning, talking and teaching — all in an effort to “grow the game” at the high school and collegiate levels.
Sunday, he was at Miramonte High School to speak with roughly 50 high school coaches in the inaugural Hoops4Girls coaches’ clinic. Washington’s Mike Neighbors and California’s Lindsay Gottlieb also took part, along with high school coaches Malik McCord and Sue Phillips.
Graves focused on drills and in-game strategy during his one hour presentation.
“This is how the game evolves,” Graves said. “Almost everything that I’ve run, I’ve gotten at least part of it from one of these kinds of drills or talking to a coach. You tweak it here or there and then it’s your own.”
Oregon women’s basketball’s third-year coach makes a point of speaking at a few clinics around the country yearly, but he was close to his roots on Sunday. He took his first Division I job at St. Mary’s in 1997. Graves stopped for lunch at Nation’s Burgers, one of his favorite spots from his coaching days there.
He demonstrated ball screens and re-screens for the coaches, weaving in anecdotes about current and former players. He talked about sophmore Maite Cazorla and freshman Sabrina Ionescu, who was in attendance on Sunday.
“I don’t think there will be a better combination in the country in ball screens,” said Graves. After explaining ball screens, Graves detailed an inbounding play.
“How many people fall asleep on inbounds?” Graves asked the group. “We take pride in that.”
After taking a few questions, Graves distributed business cards with his cell phone number. He “loves the follow up” when coaches email or call with more questions. Graves has many of his plays diagrammed and video recorded, making it easy to forward along. Having direct access to a Pac-12 coach is unique, attendees said.
“It’s huge because it closes the gap in a sense,” Bishop O’Dowd High School’s assistant coach Matt Lane said. “They take the ego or success out of the equation. It’s just, ‘Hey. Let’s talk basketball.’ It doesn’t matter what level you are.”
Graves said he hopes clinics like the one on Sunday strengthen the connection between the high school and collegiate coaches.
“Maybe when we come down and play at Cal or Stanford, they might come to the game and reconnect,” Graves said. “That’s kind of where you get to know people.”
Lane jumped at the chance to attend the paid event in Orinda. It’s not often three Pac-12 coaches visit the Bay Area on the same day, let alone the same gym.
“It’s a chance to pick the minds of coaches who have been in our shoes and have gotten to the next level,” Lane said. “They’re willing to reach back and be open and communicate. They’re helping us learn and master our craft.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne