University of Oklahoma Athletics
Griffin Earns Third Big 12 Honor
January 28, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - After making a surprise return to the court and registering 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win at 25th-ranked Baylor on Saturday, Oklahoma freshman forward Blake Griffin was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week today. He shared the award with Baylor junior guard Curtis Jerrells.
For Griffin, who was named the league's rookie of the week on Jan. 14, it is his second conference player-of-the-week honor (he also earned the accolade on Dec. 31).
Griffin sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee five minutes into OU's Jan. 14 loss at Kansas and was expected to miss up to four weeks of action. Twelve days later, however, the 6-10, 243-pounder led OU to its third win of the year over a ranked opponent. After OU squandered a 16-point second-half lead and watched Baylor go ahead 71-70 with 1:57 remaining, Griffin promptly scored on the Sooners' next two possessions as his team tallied the final seven points of the contest. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, including nine of the team's last 12.
In addition to his 17 points and 15 boards, Griffin registered three assists an no turnovers in just 22 minutes of play. It was his seventh double-double of the season.
Griffin is averaging a double-double (14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds) in his three Big 12 games despite not scoring and grabbing just one rebound in his five minutes against Kansas. On the year, he ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (14.7 ppg), third in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and second in field goal percentage (.581).
The last Oklahoma freshman to average more than 14.7 points a game for an entire season was Jeff Webster in 1990-91 (18.3). The last OU freshman to average more than 9.0 rebounds was Wayman Tisdale in 1982-83 (10.3).
Oklahoma, slotted No. 24 in today's CollegeRPI.com ratings, returns to action tonight as it hosts Oklahoma State in an 8 p.m. CST game televised by ESPN. The Sooners are 14-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 (fifth place).
