Page 19 - Laker Connection Fall 2011

Above: Griggs gets height as she shoots during the Clayton State vs. Lander Homecoming game. Above Right: Griggs goes up against a Michigan Tech player during the national championship game.
Prior to attending Clayton State Uni- versity, Griggs attended Jacksonville University (JU) in Jacksonville, Fla.
“I attended all the team camps since I was a freshman in high school, which is how Coach Cox and Coach
Coleman saw me play,”
Griggs says. “Since then, I
was always an option for
them, until they found out I
signed with JU. Being that
Clayton State University
was the ‘neighborhood
school’ for me, I never
saw myself coming
here. However, now I
have to say that com-
ing here was the best
decision I’ve ever
made.”
Griggs admits that coming to Clayton State University has been a chal- lenge.
“Clayton State is definitely tougher academically compared to JU,” she says. “The biggest challenge has definitely been adjusting to the new curriculum.”
Balancing her schedule during bas- ketball season is also a challenge.
“During basketball season I don’t re- ally participate in any other extracurric- ular activities, because I’m usually too tired after practice throughout the week.
The only other thing I do is school work, so my time is pretty much manages it- self,” Griggs says.
This basketball season was espe- cially memorable for Griggs.
“Winning a national championship was sort of like a Cinderella Story,” she says. “No one expected us to win. No one wanted us to win. We proved so many people wrong and now everyone has to respect us. I thought going to the Final Four in high school was an indescribable feeling, but the feeling I felt on Mar. 25 was un- believable. Now I know that any- thing is possible when you work
hard for it.”
During the Elite Eight,
Griggs had no idea that her mother and sister would drive 16 hours through the snow to surprise her during the championship game. Along the way, Griggs’ mother has given her plenty of advice and en- couragement. However, Griggs says the words she lives by are “make me
proud!”
Griggs admits winning the national
championship was very rewarding.
“I go out in public and people will notice me from the news, or see me with a Clayton State t-shirt on and congratu-
Above: Griggs talks to the media following the national championship win.
late me,” she says. “I also get free things or discounts because the community is so proud. It actually still works to this day.”
Griggs looks forward to the upcom- ing basketball season and believes that the team’s defensive pressure, team chemistry, trust and everyone playing their role influenced the big win.
“Even though we are losing four sen- iors, the team next year isn’t really losing depth or talent,” Griggs says. “Yes, we’re losing our leading scorer, but the team next year will have players who can all score evenly. I honestly believe we have a very good chance of repeating.”
Outside of school Griggs enjoys playing DJ Hero on the Wii, shopping, hanging out, and tweeting on Twitter. After college she would love to go overseas and play basketball. If not, she wants to be- come a member of the FBI or a profiler.
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