Will Graves’ Two Dissimilar, Yet Salient National Championship Experiences

Dec 9, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Will Graves (35) celebrates a three-pointer against the Merrimack Warriors in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga won 80-55. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images

Walk-ons are vitally important to the success of any college basketball team, especially in the eyes of Will Graves. The former Gonzaga Bulldog guard was with the program for three seasons from 2019 to 2022 and was a part of the 2020-21 group that made it all the way to the NCAA national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Graves spoke with The Slipper Still Fits about his college years spent in Spokane, Washington, and how invaluable his role was to his coaches and teammates during that span.

“Being a walk-on at Gonzaga is the best gig in America. It’s hard. You don’t get a lot of the fame that comes with being a Gonzaga basketball player. But I think the coaching staff does a great job at including all the guys. You play a big role on scout team and everyone inside the program knows your values. That’s really all that matters to us. The outsiders maybe don’t see it as like that. You’re pretty valuable if you’re doing your role correctly as a walk-on.

After his time with Gonzaga, Graves spent his final season of college eligibility in 2022-23 with the Southern Oregon Wolves, an NAIA program in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. He had the chance to play professionally in the Dominican Republic, but being the son of a basketball coach, Graves knew what his future was. His father, Kelly, served as the Gonzaga women’s basketball coach from 2000 to 2014 and has been serving as the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball coach ever since.

Once his mind was made up, Graves ended up as a graduate assistant with coach Todd Golden and the Florida Gators in 2024. He will be graduating this April with a Master’s in Sports Management.

I kind of knew it was always what I wanted to do. I wanted to play pro. I tried it out. It wasn’t really for me. So I got into the coaching side. I was just hoping I’d land a good spot. And obviously I got just so lucky here at Florida. I mean, we, it’s a coach Golden’s incredible. The whole staff is great. And obviously they had a, they, they were building a beast and I just jumped on right at the right time. So, uh, I kind of knew I was what I wanted to do from the start. I mean, it’s in now that I’m in it, I, it’s pretty natural to me. Like, I feel like I was born for this. So shout out, shout out pops for really instilling that in me.

During his time in Gainesville, Florida, Graves was finally able to cut down the nets in 2024-25 and be crowned a national champion at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. When reflecting on his two vastly different experiences at the final game of the college basketball season, he spoke about how gratifying each of the journeys to get there was.

“That Gonzaga game was five years ago. I still remember it, obviously. I actually don’t think I’ve watched that game from start to finish yet. It was so devastating. Looking back, our team was on unbelievable. We had three lottery picks and then one player who’s like one of the best college players of all time to me. But that one was pretty heartbreaking. In my new role at Florida as a graduate assistant, it was pretty rewarding getting there and getting the job done, especially since I was one of the two people in the program that have actually been to a Final Four before. Alijah Martin was the other with the Florida State Owls in 2022-23.”

It’s pretty remarkable for Graves to have been taught under two coaches in Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Florida’s Todd Golden. The legendary minds may have different approaches to the game, but the coach-in-the-making picked the brains of each and molded their thoughts into his own.

“They’re definitely different styles. Coach Few is a little more old school. Coach Golden is more of the new generation. A players coach. But I’d say one thing I admired with Few is the amount of top-five, ten kids we had in lottery picks. He coached Jalen Suggs the same as he coached me. He doesn’t really care about the ego stuff. And guys knew that. That’s why a lot of good players want to go play for him. Kind of like Kelvin Sampson. He’s going to coach you just as he would coach everyone else. They just wants what’s best for you.”

Graves played his high school ball with South Eugene in Eugene, Oregon, but the Lilac City is where he grew up. He has loved every second that he spent on Gonzaga’s campus and considers it home because of coaches like his dad, Few, and all the talented players that he was lucky enough to call his teammates.

“I loved my time there. Gonzaga basketball has always been my pinnacle. Just being a part of the team and realizing all the guys are just great guys. Our culture was amazing. I’d say my favorite part was just the teammates and the relationships I’ve built with the coaching staff. I still go back every summer and I’ll see guys that I played with or guys on the team now. It’s just like one big family.”

While the future is unknown at this time, Graves would welcome the chance to come back to Gonzaga’s program in some capacity with open arms.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho