Kelly Graves, head women's basketball coach of the Oregon Ducks, shares his experiences as a parent and coach. He emphasizes the importance of balancing parenting and coaching, and the lessons he teaches his own children and players. Graves discusses his background and upbringing, as well as the dynamics of raising three boys while being a high-performing coach. He also talks about the value of being part of a team and the pressure on student-athletes to play, highlighting the importance of the overall experience rather than just playing time. Graves shares insights on program rebuilds, emphasizing the significance of recruiting great people and building relationships. In this conversation, Kolby Paxton interviews Kelly Graves, the head coach of the University of Oregon women's basketball team. They discuss the type of individuals Graves looks for when recruiting players, the power of fortitude and perseverance, the development of young athletes, the impact of Sabrina Ionescu, and the role of parents in youth sports. Graves emphasizes the importance of championship character, competitive spirit, and a team-first mentality in his recruits. He shares his personal experience of working on a potato farm and the lessons he learned about resilience. Graves also highlights the exceptional qualities of Sabrina Ionescu and the impact she has had on and off the court. He discusses his approach to mentoring assistant coaches and the importance of hiring great people. Finally, Graves offers advice to parents on how to support and guide their children in sports while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
What is Championship Parenting?
Parenting is a must-win game. That's true for all of us, including some of the most accomplished coaches and leaders in athletics across the country.
Presented by Black Raven and Little U Productions, Championship Parenting is a weekly master class on parenting and leadership from some of the top coaches, administrators and executives across the landscape of American sports — each of whom have children of their own, and a wealth of relatable stories and insight to share.