We are still about 4 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Bucknell head coach John Griffin III, who talked about getting hired last March and his expectations for this season.
In the 2005 NCAA tourney as a player at Bucknell you had 2 STL in a 1-PT win over #3 seed Kansas for the 1st-ever tourney win by a Patriot League team: where does that upset rank among the highlights of your career? It is certainly in the top-5. I won a pair of Patriot League titles that are # 1 & #2, plus a couple of Philly Catholic League titles, which was a royal achievement. That environment/buildup was amazing and we were able to emerge victorious.
Your 220 career 3PM remains #3 in Bucknell history: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? I did not really have a choice because I did not drive the ball inside the arc. I lived by the motto “Never up never in” and had the Michael Jordan poster which said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” Coach Pat Flannery was a schematic genius and we had a bunch of unselfish players, which gave a player like me opportunities when the opposing defense crashed the rim.
After graduating you played pro basketball for several years in Europe: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? The 24-second shot clock changes the pace of the game internationally. I had to make quicker decisions and the set plays did not have as much “fluff”. It was really a blessing for me because it gave me another perspective as to how the game is played. I tore my ACL in Germany but it gave me a great perspective on both life/basketball so I am a big advocate of playing overseas.
You later spent a year as a video coordinator for the Indiana Pacers: what was your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? It was a master class in coaching. I learned from some of the best coaches in the world: Jim O’Brien gave me an unbelievable opportunity/starting point and kind of threw me into the fire. I did some analytics work during the early stages of what it has now become and it provided me a base for my coaching philosophies and knowledge of player development. I learned how to work: NBA coaches spend unusual amounts of time trying to win a championship and really try to put their players in the best positions to be successful. It grounded me: Eric Spoelstra started as a video guy in the “dungeon” cutting film in a windowless room and providing as much as he could to the assistant coaches. I refer back to it often due to everything that I learned. The memory I hold onto the most was making the playoffs as an 8 seed and facing the Bulls when Derrick Rose was an MVP. I got to coach guys like Paul George/Lance Stephenson and my experience was amazing. Frank Vogel was an assistant (and now head coach of the Suns) and Walter McCarty was a Kentucky legend. Most importantly, I met my wife!
In March you were hired as head coach at your alma mater: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took the job because it has always been a dream of mine to be a D-1 head coach. My dad became the coach of Siena at age 25. I have great relationships with the community, which has always been so loyal/supportive of my journey. I got to reignite my passion and am truly grateful. There are hundreds of qualified assistant coaches and I worked with a number of people who could easily be in my shoes. I have spent 4 years in the Patriot League as a player and 4 more as a coach and been a part of 7 titles so I know the path to success. I am super-excited to see if it will work quickly. We got to go to Italy last summer and see our strengths/skills. There is not a ton of data attached to the players who are still in the program so we wanted to see what we have. It was a great opportunity to play a few games and feel good about the direction in which we are going. We have very capable offensive versatility and a little inexperience that we will have to work through but they have grasped onto the idea of “program pride”. They are starting to learn it and we have had a lot of great energy from amazing visitors such as Mike Muscala talking about the “Bucknell Brotherhood”.
You only have 2 freshmen on your roster: how crucial is it to have so much veteran experience as a 1st-year coach? We have 5 sophomores who are essentially freshmen, which is a lot, plus another guy who is a D-2 transfer. Having 8 guys without significant D-1 experience makes us uniquely young in the current college basketball landscape. Last year we had size/physicality but this year we have more speed/athleticism so it is a completely different roster. It is an interesting model with a young core and a hungry group of returners who are seeking opportunity.
In November you head to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Blue Devil Challenge: how do you feel about facing Duke in Durham? It is exciting: I played there as a sophomore when JJ Redick was a senior and it was a memorable experience. My scheduling philosophy involves national-level opportunities. Duke is on top of the world and I am looking forward to it, as is our athletic department since the 2 schools share academic similarities.
Your father John II played basketball at St. Joe’s and was a coach at Siena/St. Joe’s, your brother Matt played basketball at Rider/BU and is 1 of your assistants, and your wife Brianna played basketball at Mt. St. Mary’s and was an assistant at Manhattan: who is the best player in the family, and who is the best coach in the family? My wife is the best player: she scored more PTS than me in both high school/college. We are all different kinds of coaches: my dad’s success was based on toughness/grit and my brother’s approach was about energy/positivity. I am somewhere in-between but it makes it really fun because we all share in this experience. Having my highly-qualified brother on my staff is great: I watched Bobby/Danny Hurley when they were on the bench together at Wagner.
The Phillies are 1 game away from making the NLCS and the Eagles are undefeated: what is it like to be a Philly sports fan this month?! It is exciting. We are passionate people who are unapologetic about our love for our teams. We may not be nationally-liked…and are completely okay with that! We are fired up and the city is rocking so we just need to keep it going. The players connect with us as fans at such a unique level because they are blue-collar guys themselves. I have 3 boys and sharing the experience with them is even cooler than the games.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The goal is to make the NCAA tourney and I am unapologetic about that: I am hoping that we surprise a few people. I want to get this group to become the best version of themselves that they can be. When you commit to Bucknell you will get a great education and hopefully make the NCAA tourney. We want to play competitively with great pride and show our exciting brand of basketball.