Texas Southern is once again viewed as one of the favorites in the SWAC, with returnees such as Malcolm Riley and Chris Thomas expected to lead the way for Mike Davis’ team. Another reason for that status is the addition of redshirt freshman forward Derrick Griffin, who as a high school athlete was considered to be one of the top two-sport athletes in the Class of 2014.
The Tigers fell 80-67 at Syracuse Sunday afternoon, but in his fifth game as a member of the program Griffin showed exactly why he’s expected to be an impact addition for Texas Southern.
Griffin scored 20 points, shooting 9-for-9 from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds in a losing effort. And two of those points came on an impressive one-handed alley-oop in which Griffin displayed the hands responsible for more than 700 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on the gridiron this past season.
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Griffin was originally a Miami signee expected to play both football and basketball at “The U,” but after failing to qualify academically he landed at Texas Southern.
Texas Southern is 1-10 on the season, but non-conference play for the Tigers (and many other programs in a similar position) is about helping the athletic department balance its budget through “buy games” and getting prepared for a run at their conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Adding Griffin to the rotation gives Texas Southern an athlete in the front court more than capable of giving the rest of the SWAC fits, which could result in another trip to the NCAA tournament come March.
