Keller natives, the Graves sisters – Sarah and Rebekah – both helped gear winning squads to the regionals of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
FORT WORTH, Texas — In the month of March, basketball binds us. But the Madness is made by the underdogs.
Perhaps no better examples exist in this year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament than Texas senior Sarah Graves and Louisville redshirt freshman Rebekah Graves.
The sisters from Keller, Tex. reunited in North Texas for the Sweet 16 — hosted by Dickies Arena in Fort Worth — just 20 miles south of where they grew up.
For their parents, Nicole and John Graves, the moment defies expectation.
“I did not think, never in a million years, it would go this far,” Nicole admitted.
The sisters’ paths to this stage were unlikely, yet strikingly similar.
Sarah’s basketball journey is famous among her inner circle: going from 7th grade C-team to high school varsity in the span of a few years, due in part to her high school coach Kate Goldberg seeing something in her.
Sarah ordered Kobe Bryant’s books. Soon, the Mamba Mentality was established.
However, Sarah was not highly recruited out of high school. So, she opted to enroll at the University of Texas, where she could attend the prestigious McCombs School of Business.
Her basketball chapter appeared to be over — until her friends convinced her to try out for the women’s basketball team as a walk-on.
She did. And she’s never left. Sarah has been a fixture on the Longhorns bench for the last four years.
While she plays sparingly — less than anyone on the roster — her impact resonates with fans, coaches and teammates.
“If I can even lift their energy levels half a percent, that’s worth it,” she said.
Known for her energy and relentless enthusiasm, Sarah has become a favorite among teammates, coaches and fans.
“She’s a special, special young lady,” explained Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer. “What she brings to our [program] you can’t put a value on.”
That presence was on full display in the Round of 32 against Oregon — the Longhorns’ final home game of the season.
With the game well in-hand, Schaefer put in his beloved senior for the final two minutes.
She knocked down a pair of jump shots and hit the famous Michael Jordan “shrug” motion.
The Moody Center erupted. It was a sendoff only March could deliver.
“What got me emotional is, I saw her after the game go love on these little girls,” John Graves recalled, fighting back tears.
Hours after Texas’ second round win, young fans waited outside the arena to meet Sarah. She happily obliged for all of them.
“I was that kid,” she said. “So, to be able to pay it back and give my time is something I’m really proud of.”
No. 1-seed Texas advanced, which brought them upstate to Fort Worth for the Sweet 16.
The No. 3 seed in the same region, Louisville, did as well.
Rebekah Graves is a redshirt freshman for the Cardinals, and Sarah’s younger sister.
“We’re like 15 months apart, so we’re basically twins,” Sarah said. “Everything that she did, I did.”
Rebekah became a preferred walk-on for Louisville.
“I’m always asking her questions, and she’s always answering,” Rebekah said of Sarah. “It just means a lot to be back home and to have this many people come and support both of us.”
Two sisters with two unlikely journeys to college hoops.
A homecoming fit for Hollywood.
An underdog story made for March.