Oregon Ducks Lexi Bando Set The Standard For Head Coach Kelly Graves
Former Oregon Duck Lexi Bando had a major hand in turning the Oregon Ducks into a Top 10 Program in her time in Eugene.
If you haven’t heard the story of Willamette High School’s Lexi Bando, it is worth the read. Bando won school championships in High School all at Matthew Knight Arena. Following the departure of the previous coaching staff and the hiring of Kelly Graves, a decision had to be made.
Bando, at the time, did not know much about Graves but remained committed to the Oregon Ducks. In four seasons she watched the program progressively get better. On Senior Day there were not many tears from Bando on the court following the game as she spoke to the crowd. The message was simple. She expected to have a few more home games in the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon secured the number two seed in the NCAA Tournament and played two home games against Seattle and Minnesota. While Bando’s name didn’t light up the stat sheet like her teammates, she was the consummate professional in post-game interviews talking about the team and giving credit to them.
.@lexibando10 finishes her Oregon career with a 45.7 percent (283-of-619) career three-point percentage, the best in both UO (44.6, Jennifer Bourn, 1991) and Pac-12 (45.2, Jennifer Azzi, Stanford, 1990) history. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/mNPHxXWSI1
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 27, 2018
Bando spent part of the season injured and following her return her three-point shooting prowess was on display and playing a key role in games down the stretch of the 2017-18 season.
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Lexi Bando finishes her career with the best three-point shooting percentage in both University of Oregon and Pac-12 Conference History at over 45 percent from distance. Her teamwork and competitiveness on the court was as unselfish as they come, setting the standard for the Oregon Ducks over the last four years.