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Former Cactus girls basketball coach Jim Graham will be inducted into the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame May 4. He led the lady Cobras to five state titles during his 27-year career.
mollie j hoppes/daily news-sun
Longtime Cactus coach earns hall call
Arizona Coaches Association honor leaves recipient speechless
When Jim Graham was a boy, he and his mother used to go to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum all the time. Whether for smaller events or to catch a Suns game, Graham said he has fond memories of those trips.
One thing Graham said he remembers doing is wandering the halls, looking at the pictures of the members of the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
"I remember even then being really impressed by those guys, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be up there with them," Graham said.
Yet as improbable as it may have seemed to Graham as a boy, this May, after nearly four decades of coaching, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"It's such a wonderful honor, I don't even know what to say or how to describe it," Graham said.
Graham had spent the past 27 years coaching the Cactus girls basketball team before stepping down last year. Having won two straight championships and three in four years, many were caught offguard when Graham walked away from a New England Patriots-like run of success.
"I didn't stop coaching because I stopped enjoying it or because I was tired of it," Graham said. "I still loved it. But the truth is, I've been coaching for my entire married life. This year would have been 38 years, and my wife said to me, 'haven't you had enough?' That's when I decided it was time."
Graham said he does not regret the decision, adding that he is enjoying the unfamiliar free time.
"I have two grandchildren, one is 1 year old and the other is 3 months, so I'm spending a lot of time with them," Graham said. "I'm golfing with my son and I joined a bowling league with my son and daughter. Most of all, I'm renewing my relationship with my wife. It was the right time to step away."
Graham, who teaches at Cactus, said he still takes an interest in the team. Many of the girls he coached are there, and he said he enjoyed following them this season. What caught him by surprise was the phone call he received in early January.
"I got a call and was told they had chosen me to be in the Hall of Fame, and I was just floored," Graham said. "It's so humbling. I never got into coaching for wins or titles or the hall of fame, I got into it because I enjoyed basketball and I love working with kids. To know that my picture is going to be on that wall with those coaches I saw when I was a kid is a thrill and a real honor."
Graham said he is feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement about the induction ceremony, which will be May 4 at the Phoenix Elks Lodge.
"My mother, who is 90 years old now, is going to be there, and I have three brothers and two sisters who will be there, as well," Graham said. "It's going to be a really proud day for me, and I'm glad that I'll be able to share it with my family."
When the time comes for the ceremony, Graham said he fully expects it to get emotional.
"Coaching was its own reward, so I guess that makes this the icing on the cake," Graham said. "I've had a fantastic career, and I guess this sort of validates that what I have spent my life doing has been worthwhile."
