When the Ducks tip off Saturday against Saint Louis in the third round of the NCAA tournament, at least one Oregon fan will find it bittersweet. This time last year, Oregon soccer coach Kat Mertz was the head coach for Saint Louis, and during her time there she became acquainted with the basketball program.
“I have a lot of respect for that program,” Mertz said of Saint Louis. “They’re a good team and I am very proud of what they have done. (Saint Louis) is a very tight knit athletic department, and it’s a smaller school so you see the players in study hall and the weight room. It’s pretty much a little family in the athletic department, so I know some of the players and obviously I know the coaching staff.”
Mertz’s office at Oregon is located right across the hall from the basketball department, so although she has only been a Duck for a few months, she has found time to get to know the coaches. She has also kept up with the team and even found a way to make it to the Pac-12 Tournament.
“My assistant and I were down in Vegas recruiting,” Mertz said. “It happened to be the same time as the Pac-12 tournament, so we were able to go to the game against Washington and then the championship game. It was definitely fun to watch.”
Mertz’s affinity for basketball came long before she became a college coach. She says that she first started paying attention to basketball when a young Grant Hill played for South Lakes High School in Renton, Va., down the road from where Mertz lived.
She followed his career at Duke closely, and while attending North Carolina State University, her love for ACC basketball only grew.
“Growing up in Virginia, I have always been an ACC/Duke fan,” Mertz said. “Going to school at NC State, it was ACC basketball, so I have always been a fan of college basketball.”
Mertz doesn’t always find herself on a recruiting trip in the same city where the Ducks are playing, but she still finds a way to watch the games. However, she was caught off guard when she went to a local Eugene establishment with some co-workers to watch Oregon take on Oklahoma State and couldn’t find a seat. She claims she won’t underestimate the Oregon fans again.
“(Saturday) we’re going to leave early to find a place to watch the game,” Mertz said. “I can’t wait to watch it.”
Mertz admits that she has a lot of admiration for both teams and generally finds herself to be a fan of the mid-major, especially after coaching at UNLV. Although Saint Louis is a much higher seed than Oregon, a No. 4 compared to a No. 12 seed, Oregon seems to have a lot of momentum going into the game, and she sees Saint Louis as being a bit of an underdog. That being said, she didn’t hesitate to say who she is rooting for come Saturday.
“I’m always a mid-major fan at heart,” Mertz said. “I always try and support the mid-major, but in this situation I have nothing but Duck respect, and I can’t wait to see them be successful. I’m going to have to pull for the Ducks.”
Her final prediction?
“Ducks all the way!”