University of Oregon Director of Athletics Rob Mullens announced today that the UO has agreed to terms and is finalizing a contract extension with head women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves. The agreement, which is pending Board of Trustees approval, will run through the 2025-26 season. The extension will be funded through athletic sources.
“The Oregon women’s basketball program has reached unprecedented heights under Kelly Graves,” said Mullens. “Kelly and his staff have elevated our program to one of the nation’s elite, consistently winning Pac-12 championships, ranking in the top ten in the country, and making a strong connection with our passionate fans. Kelly and Mary Graves are an ideal fit for the University of Oregon and the Eugene community, and we are thankful for their commitment to our program and our student-athletes.”
The Ducks have reached the Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons and enter the 2019 NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed in the Portland Regional after finishing 29-4 and winning the Pac-12 regular season championship for a second consecutive season. Oregon won both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles in 2018 and the Ducks are in their third consecutive NCAA tournament after not appearing in March Madness since 2005. The 2019 tournament is also the second consecutive for Oregon as a No. 2 seed, and Graves was named the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year for his efforts this season.
“We love it here at the University of Oregon, and this is where I have wanted to coach for a long time,” said Graves. “It means the world to our family that President Schill and Rob Mullens would offer a contract that essentially takes me through my coaching lifetime. This is a reflection of the commitment, hard work, and accomplishments of an incredible group of student-athletes as well as the most dedicated coaching staff a head coach could ever hope for. We are also so thankful for the passion and support of our Duck fans that make Matthew Knight Arena a tremendous home-court advantage.”
The consecutive Pac-12 titles the last two years doubled the number of conference titles in Oregon history and the 33-5 record in 2017-18 set the school record for victories. After assuming the reins of a program that finished with losing seasons in five of the previous six campaigns, Graves’s Oregon teams have averaged more than 24 wins per season during his five years at the helm, including 109 wins over the last four years (27.3 wins per season). Overall, the Ducks are 120-51 with Graves as their head coach (.702).
Graves has coached seven All-Americans and three national award winners, including Ruthy Hebard (Katrina McClain Award for the nation’s top power forward) and Sabrina Ionescu (Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s top point guard). Ionescu was also named a consensus first team All-American last season, while Hebard earned Honorable Mention All-America honors, and both are top contenders for similar accolades this season.
https://goducks.com/news/2019/3/20/womens-basketball-oregon-announces-graves-contract-extension.aspx
