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Allen Griffin’s Path to Coaching Allen Griffin's Path to Coaching

From a player to a coach, Griffin continues to bring passion to the court.

By Sydney Supple

Griffin has been making an impact since 1997.
© 1993 SU Athletics

Sydney: From 1997 to 2003 Syracuse has always been home for Allen griffin.

as a player griffin made it to the NCAA tournament four years in a row as he started his sophomore and senior year.

you may wonder what about his junior year? well, there is two words griffin has to say about that year…

Griffin: “I wrote thank you on the back of every practice jersey I have ever had. and all of my sneakers that I have ever had, my sneakers that year. I think it was every time coach saw the back of my jersey…he was always going to see a thank you. it fueled a fire in me that I took for granted.”

Sydney: Coach Griffin that is when he picked up the basketball again and found an even deeper love for the game.

Most people when faced with hardships could have easily taken the basketball and thrown it away, but for Coach Griffin that is when he picked up the basketball again and found an even deeper love for the game.

A love that he has been sharing with others in a new role as a coach for twenty years now.

Griffin: “From Judah Mintz all the way down to our walk ons, I try to coach them the same and be the same. Because I don’t look at them any different you know because that’s just the way I am built. and my passion is equal it is for everybody and if you want to learn then I am here to teach.”

Sydney: While a new era of Syracuse begins one thing stays the same. Allen griffin will be bringing the passion to the court.

From Syracuse, I’m Sydney supple NCC news.

Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — When you think of Allen Griffin you think of one thing: the sport of basketball. 

The basketball Griffin learned as a child is not the one, you’d expect. 

“We would get creative using the monkey bars on the playground as the hop. There were no jump shots or anything besides dunking the ball through the monkey bars to score a point,” said Griffin.  

This creativity and joy around the game is what would foster the love of basketball that would stay alive in Griffin’s heart forever as he takes on a new role as a coach. 

The New York native from Brownsville was an All-American, team captain and MVP at Paul Robeson High School. This led him to be recruited by Hall of Fame Syracuse head coach, Jim Boeheim. Griffin played for the Orange from 1997 to 2001 where his teams earned an NCAA invitation every four years.  

One thing that follows Griffin everywhere he goes is winning. As a player his record at Syracuse was 98-36 (.731 winning percentage). While you may look at his stats and think that the two seasons he started as a sophomore and senior were the most impactful, but it was his junior year where he credits all his growth to.  

“I wrote thank you on the back of every practice jersey I have ever had. and all my sneakers that I have ever had, my sneakers that year. I think it was every time coach saw the back of my jersey…he was always going to see a thank you. It fueled a fire in me that I took for granted,” said Griffin.  

Griffin credits his junior year to what led him in the direction of coaching and gave him a place on the Syracuse coaching staff.  

Allen brought 15 years of Division One coaching experience to the Orange staff. In Allen’s six seasons on Syracuse’s staff Griffin has played a part in Syracuse reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 twice and an additional NCAA Tournament berth.  

While there is a turnover at the head coaching position for the first time in 47 years, there will be one thing that remains the same. Griffin will be bringing passion to the court like he always has.  

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