Huge news for the Orange, former Illinois sophomore has decided he’ll come to Syracuse. Griffin played in 28 games last season, averaging 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds each game, shooting 48% from the field and 42% from distance. Standing at 6’5’’ 195 lbs, Griffin will look to eventually fill the hole that Elijah Hughes left at the forward spot for SU. Whether he does that this season or next is up to the NCAA, Griffin will the 2020-21 season unless he receives a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible immediately. The NCAA is also expected to hold a vote later this month on a proposal to grant every transfer immediate eligibility. Griffin chose Syracuse after receiving interest from Dayton, Arizona, Texas and Iowa State.
Griffin has the potential to be incredibly valuable for the Orange. He’s extremely versatile, and while he’ll most likely be playing mainly as a forward, he could help the thin backcourt SU is left with after losing a few key guys to the transfer portal. With just Joe Girard, Buddy Boeheim and the incoming freshman Kadary Richmond on the roster, it seems that Griffin will have to be ready to play up at the top of the 2-3 zone as well as on the wings.
Griffin’s also got basketball in his blood. The Hudson Valley, New York native was surrounded by basketball at an early age. His dad, Adrian, is an assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors, his younger brother, A.J., is a top 10 recruit in the class of 2021 and has already committed to play for Coach K at Duke, and his sister Aubrey just finished her first season playing for Geno Auriemma at UCONN. Needless to say, this kid knows basketball inside and out and has the potential to be an incredible addition to this Orange team.
With the addition of Griffin, this SU roster gets a little more enticing, maybe a few more guys that remain in the transfer portal will consider packing their bags and heading north to play for Coach Boeheim.
