Olson's grandkids continue to climb coaching ladder

Maybe being one of Lute Olson’s grandkids can get your foot in the basketball door, but what is most impressive about Julie Brase Hairgrove and her brother, Matt Brase, is that they started at the ground floor of coaching and continue to excel. The children of Tucson dentist Jon Brase and former Catalina Foothills High School athletic director Jody Brase form one of the rare brother-sister combos in pro basketball. Julie, who led Foothills to the 1997 state championship and was a four-year letterwinner at Arizona, is the lead assistant coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. She began her career at mid-level Loyola Marymount. After his Foothills days, Matt began as a backup forward at Central Arizona College. He is now head coach of the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Julie is only 35; Matt 33. They have yet to reach the prime of their coaching careers; you can imagine that Lute is a very proud grandpa.