It’s no doubt that Louisville’s Women’s basketball program has experienced a meteoric explosion in it’s rise to national prominence. Accidentally? No. Intentionally? Hell yeah! Louisville has experienced this explosive rise because:
1. They were deliberate in hiring not a good coach; but a great one.
2. The recruitment of quality players with great basketball skills and character.
3. Getting those players with high skill sets drafted into the WNBA.
4. The consistent ability of the coaches and players to secure significant program changing wins against some of the nation’s elite teams.
Now all that’s left for Louisville to stake a claim to their seat at the big table is to consistently beat the best of the best off the court-in the recruitment process.
Great News!!! Aubrey Griffin, the stellar 6’1 4 Star wing player from Ossining Senior High School in Ossining, NY has narrowed her college choices down to two schools; Louisville and Connecticut. Her high school coach Dan Ricci, tweeted out a picture of Griffin with Coach Jeff Walz during her unofficial visit to UofL on July 4th. She was in town for a girl’s AAU basketball event called “Run for the Roses.”
Unofficial visit at Louisville! pic.twitter.com/TVIUYThBAd
— Dan Ricci (@CoachRicOHS) July 5, 2018
Griffin then went out and, in front of UofL assistant coach Stephanie Norman and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, dropped 41 points in a game.
UofL and UCONN recruit, Aubrey Griffin drops 41 points in Run For The Roses AAU Tournament at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center. pic.twitter.com/Hh5Qt0gWQL
— Kendrick HaskinsWave (@KendrickHaskins) July 6, 2018
Griffin is a high IQ player, great defender, and has athleticism and basketball running through her veins. Aubrey’s father Adrian Griffin was a former NBA player and currently works as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors.
Griffin can be an essential element in helping the Cards play at the pace Coach Walz loves. Her drive and determination to be one of the best help to make her a special player and fun to watch.
She’s a very athletic, versatile defender, an active rebounder, has good handles, and is very explosive in the open floor. She is a quick leaner, unselfish, and a very heady player that takes advantage of all her mismatches.
Aubrey Griffin also has impeccable footwork, which most likely came from years of playing soccer. Aubrey was very good at soccer. In fact, her mother, in an article published by ESPNW, told writer Walter Villa, “When she got the ball, no one could stay with her. She was so fast.”
Aubrey would definitely be a great addition to the class of 2019. If you pair the talents of 5 Star G Nyah Green and 3 Star F Ramani Parker, both of whom are already committed, add current target 4 Star G Aijha Blackwell’s talents; and then combine all their talents with a speedy Dana Evans and the dangerously athletic Jazmine Jones, Louisville fans will be excitedly gasping for air play after play.
As a freshman Aubrey averaged 24.6 points, 2.1 assists, 3.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and almost 10 rebounds per game. Her freshman season was highlighted by a game in which she had 51 points and 9 rebounds per the ESPNW article.
Sadly Aubrey missed her sophomore season due to a torn ACL, but the Louisville coaching staff stayed consistently with her.
As a junior, Aubrey’s productivity increased as she finished the season with 28.3 points, 3.2 steals, 2.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 8.7 rebounds per game per the ESPNW article. It will be interesting and fun to see what Aubrey has in store for her senior year.
Aubrey Griffin fits into the culture that Jeff Walz has built at Louisville. She is a high character athlete with a drive to be great. She’s had some very good coaching along the way both on and off the court. It may be only fitting that she continues to announce her presence to the women’s (hoops) world, by being a key cog in Louisville women’s basketball’s continued meteoric rise to the top of women’s college basketball.
