Griffin: ‘This is who I am’
Guard a star player? Battle the best? Illinois football recruit gives all for Stagg on the court.
It’s not easy to guard the opposing team’s best player.
To be told it’s your job to keep a standout opponent from torching your team on a given night? Most people would shy away from a challenge like that in their second sport.
Stagg’s TJ Griffin Jr. isn’t like most people.
“I find joy in that,” he said. “If someone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s their best player,’ I’m like, ‘OK, let’s see what he can do against me.’ Let’s have a battle.”
Griffin won that battle Tuesday night against Andrew star Michael Morawski.
A 6-foot-2 senior guard/ forward, Griffin provided stifling defense to go along with a teamhigh 12 points for Stagg in a 55-35 Southwest Suburban Red victory over the Thunderbolts.
“TJ’s not 6-foot-10, but he’s got the heart of a guy that size,” Stagg coach Marty Strus said of Griffin, an Illinois football recruit. “We’ve asked him to do a heck of a lot.
“It’s a lot of pressure that’s put on him when all eyes of your team are looking at one guy. To his credit, he’s handled that better than anyone I know.”
Stagg (10-14, 2-5) faced additional pressure Tuesday night. After scoring just seven points in the first half in their last outing against Andrew (17-6, 4-3), the Chargers knew a better effort was required across the board.
Griffin provided that right from the get-go, hitting two 3-pointers in the opening minutes. He later popped the ball out from behind Thunderbolts center Arnas Sakenis, following up the steal with an easy layup.
After nabbing a couple more take-aways in the first quarter, Griffin’s focus shifted to effectively shutting down Morawski. Normally an offensive force, the Andrew headliner was held to just eight points, all coming in the first half.
Griffin’s never-ending toughness may come as a surprise, especially when he initially questioned playing basketball at all after receiving a football scholarship offer from Illinois.
But giving anything less than 100% just isn’t something he’s interested in whatsoever.
“An understandable choice for TJ would’ve been to go through the motions and make sure he was set up for next year,” Strus said. “He doesn’t have that bone in his body. If there’s a competition, he wants to win it.”
Stagg effectively won Tuesday’s competition in the third quarter. Griffin tallied three more steals on the defensive end, while junior guard Alex Czaja hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers to guide the Chargers on a 14-0 run.
“I was ready to knock it down for our team,” Czaja said. “It’s all our hard work paying off. We may not be bigger or stronger than those guys, but we were able to get it done.”
Zain Jubeh scored nine points for Andrew. Although the Thunderbolts threatened to come alive before halftime, they were held to just five points in the third quarter.
“If you practice poorly, you will play poorly,” Andrew coach Dave Wilson said. “We’ve had a hard time stringing physical, winning practices together.
“Every team goes through some growing pains intra-season, and we’re not learning from ours. Something has to change.”
What isn’t changing? The amount of nightly hustle Griffin provides for the Chargers.
The initial fears of risking an injury have gone by the wayside. Regardless of the circumstances, Griffin won’t be easing up on his defensive effort anytime soon.
“If I start something, I’m not going to quit it,” he said. “If I’m doing something, I’m going to give it 100% effort.
“There have been times where I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m scared.’ But at the end of the day, this is who I am.”