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.