SEATTLE — It's a basketball love story -- a former University of Washington power couple has found continued happiness at Seattle Pacific University.
Grant Leep has been coaching at Seattle Pacific for 14 years, but his love for the game started long before his days at SPU.
A western Washington basketball star
"I think when I was six, that's the first time I played on my grandma's driveway, just learning how to shoot a ball and the feeling of the ball going through the net is something that I just always loved. That was my passion and I just kept going with it," said Grant.
He garnered honorable mention prep All-America accolades while at Mount Vernon High School and three times was honored as an all-state selection.
As a senior in 1998, Grant averaged 17.3 points per game to lead the Bulldogs to a 25-2 record and a third-place finish at the state Class 3A tournament. He scored 28 points and had 13 rebounds in the final game of his high school career, a 70-56 victory over Mercer Island.
In 1997, Mount Vernon finished 28-1 and lost to Mercer Island in the state championship. Grant averaged 18.2 points and 8.5 rebounds that season, and, as a sophomore, averaged 20.1 points and 9.0 rebounds.
After Mount Vernon, Grant lettered all four years at the University of Washington. He captained the team as a senior starting forward in 2002 and averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Grant led all Pacific-10 Conference players in 3-point field goal percentage that season, converting a school-record 52.7% (39-of-74) of his attempts. Leep also holds the UW record for career 3-point shooting at 42.9% (60-of-140).
A courtship begins at UW
His love for the game grew, but UW was also where Grant met his second love.
"My freshman year, 1998, I went to a volleyball game and I saw her I was like, okay! She was a very good player," said Grant.
Allison Richardson was better than good. She was a four-year varsity player, an all-conference award winner, set the single-season kills record and was the team captain her senior year.
Early on in her college career, she also had a new admirer.
"I was so painfully shy and so I would never have approached her," said Grant.
Allison said she had a crush on Grant their freshman year, but they didn't start dating until they were sophomores.
"The whole volleyball team knew that I had this crush on Grant Leep. And we would pass each other and I'd look at him, and I get nothing back. So I knew that I would have to really initiate it," said Allison.
So Allison gave Grant her number and their courtship began.
"He just stood out to me, very handsome and just at the core he's just an incredible human being," said Allison.
From Seattle to Spokane and back again
After graduating, Grant began his coaching career and Allison worked in TV news.
She became the first female sports reporter and anchor in Spokane, while Grant coached at Spokane Community College and Eastern Washington.
They got engaged and married while living in Spokane. Then in 2009, Grant was offered a job at Seattle Pacific.
"This man was put on this earth to coach. We'll go with him because that's his purpose in life," said Allison.
"A lot of times when people are starting to get into coaching, one of the first pieces of advice they get is 'make sure that your spouse is in on it.' If they're not it's going to be a long hard road, the hours are different, but she understands it and it's been so important," said Grant.
Allison is no longer in TV sports, but she still keeps busy watching games. From one of her daughters' games to a Falcons game, Allison and Grant are inseparable.
The college sweethearts are proud parents of two and have found LOVE in basketball.
"We care about each other a lot, we love each other a lot and that's only grown. She's always been there. She's always going to be there. I know that, and that's one of the greatest things about her," said Grant.