Griffin Announces Decision

NORMAN, Okla. - Coming off one of the most productive freshman campaigns in school history, Oklahoma men's basketball forward Blake Griffin announced Wednesday that he will return for his sophomore season.

Griffin made the announcement at a media conference at Lloyd Noble Center and was joined by his head coach, Jeff Capel.

"Our team has a chance to be really good next year," said Griffin prior to the media conference when asked why he decided to come back instead of turning pro. "We want to be one of the top teams in the country and make a statement with what we're trying to do as a program. I also want to get a lot better this summer so that I can be in a better (draft) position than I am now."

Griffin, a McDonald's All-American coming out of Oklahoma Christian School a year ago, said the decision-making process was not as difficult as he originally imagined it would be.

Press Conference Video |

Press Conference Photo Gallery |

Transcript |

Blake Griffin Fact Sheet

"It was tough at first, because going to the NBA has been my dream for as long as I can remember," he began, "and that opportunity presented itself. But once I sat down and went over the pros and cons, the decision was a little bit easier than I thought.

"I was close to making my final decision this past weekend. Then I thought about it a lot more on Monday and talked to my family. That's pretty much when I decided."

Interested in Learning More About 2008-09 Men's Basketball Tickets?

Griffin said his older brother, Taylor, who will be a senior for the Sooners next year, provided a big assist over the last couple of weeks.

"My brother gave me some advice in terms of the pros and cons of leaving - what would be good, what would be bad. I respect him and look up to him, and he had an effect on me in terms of my decision. I'm also really looking forward to playing with him for one more season."

Griffin averaged team highs of 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high .568 from the field. He ranked ninth in the Big 12 in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage. He also averaged 1.8 assists per contest, the most by an OU forward since Eduardo Najera in 2001.

A first-team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and the Associated Press, Griffin was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and earned freshman All-America honors from CollegeInsider.com, Rivals.com (second team) and CollegeHoops.net (second team).

"Obviously, it means a lot to our program to have a guy who will be one of the best players in college basketball next year coming back," said Capel at the media conference. "I am happy for Blake, to be completely honest with you. I am happy that he is doing what he wants to do.

"I know how agonizing this was for him. I am really proud of the way he handled everything; he and is his family, they did it the right way. We gathered information and he made an informed decision. Most importantly, he made a decision on what he wants to do. It may not be popular to some other people, but he made a decision on what he wants to do."

Griffin's scoring average was the highest by an OU true freshman since Tim McCalister's 16.1 in 1983-84 and his rebounding average was the highest by a Sooners frosh since Wayman Tisdale's 10.3 in 1983.

Griffin registered 10 double-doubles on the year and averaged 19.2 points and 13.9 boards in those contests. His last seven double-doubles came against NCAA Tournament teams (he averaged 20.3 points and 14.7 rebounds in those seven).

Oklahoma finished 23-11 on the season and tied for fourth place in the Big 12 with a 9-7 record. The Sooners, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, return all but two players next year (David Godbold and Longar Longar were seniors) and welcome a top-20 recruiting class that features McDonald's All-American Willie Warren.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors