TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL


SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

Griffin on the road to history
Star could be first Sooner to take honor

STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World

 
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 2/6/2009  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 2/6/2009  3:17 AM

 NORMAN — Wayman Tisdale was a three-time All-American who broke nearly every Oklahoma record, and yet he couldn't do it.

Alvan Adams was a two-time All-American who left the Sooners as their all-time scoring and rebounding leader, and yet he couldn't do it.

Stacey King was a two-time All-American who topped all of OU's postseason charts and led the Sooners to the national championship game, and yet he couldn't do it.

Conference player of the year? Sure, the Sooners have had plenty of those. Six in fact.

National coach of the year? Billy Tubbs once and Kelvin Sampson twice.

But national player of the year? At last count, they handed out five of those per season — the Naismith, Wooden, Robertson, Rupp and NABC awards. The Sooners have gone 0-for-forever.

Well, expect that dry spell to end by April.

Michael Rothstein, an enterprising sportswriter for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, recently polled 50 player of the year voters for a midseason report. Thirty-nine cast their ballot for OU sophomore Blake Griffin. The next-closest competitor in the runaway race was Davidson guard Stephen Curry.

He won six first-place votes.

"I don't know if there's a close second to be honest with you," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said in sizing up the race. "There's not much (Griffin) can't do. I love his composure on the court."

Griffin is so dominant that opponents have turned basketball games
into steel cage matches. They elbow, trip, knee and punch OU's manchild, often below the belt. Griffin's response is to walk away and post another double-double. He has an NCAA-high 19 as of Wednesday night's win over Texas A&M.

It's gotten to the point where Griffin's worst effort of the season still tips the scales.

"He didn't play great tonight and still went for 16 (points) and 14 (rebounds)," A&M coach Mark Turgeon said.

"What he's doing for his basketball team says a lot," Ford said. "To me, that's the ultimate decision-maker (in terms of the player of the year race). Obviously he's a great player, but it's what he does to help his team win. He does so many different things."

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame's player of the year candidate, scores more than Griffin. But he hasn't kept the Irish from losing six straight games.

Curry scores more than anyone in Division I college basketball. But his 44 against OU on Nov. 18 wasn't enough to overcome Griffin's 25 points, 21 rebounds and three assists, or the Sooners' 82-78 victory.

That win put OU on stage at Madison Square Garden for the NIT Season Tip-Off final four. ESPN was there to telecast Griffin's 32 points and 15 boards in a semifinal win over UAB, and his 18 and 21 in a championship clincher over Purdue.

OU coach Jeff Capel used the occasion to proclaim: "I know there's some other really good ones and some other great ones, but when you combine the package of everything, I wouldn't trade (Griffin) for anyone. There's not one guy in college basketball There's not one guy playing basketball I'd trade him for. Maybe LeBron."

On Jan. 12, ESPN was in Norman for OU's 78-63 Big Monday thrashing of Texas. Griffin put up 20 points and 10 rebounds and left an impression on Longhorns coach Rick Barnes.

Asked this week if he'd consider Griffin for national player of the year, Barnes replied: "Absolutely. You look at what he's done, his consistency, his numbers he's putting up, the fact that he's got his team at a very high level. He's doing all the things that national player of the year candidates do."

Back for another Big Monday in Stillwater on Jan. 26, Griffin outrebounded OSU by himself. Now even ESPN squawk box Dick Vitale had to notice. He left Griffin off his preseason first- and second-team All-America squads, choosing the likes of Texas' Damion James instead.

During last Monday's telecast of the Connecticut-Louisville game, however, Vitale branded Griffin the favorite for national player of the year.

Join the crowd, Dickie V.

Griffin has the numbers. He averages 22 points and an NCAA-best 14 rebounds to go with those 19 double-doubles. North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning player of the year, averages 22 points and seven rebounds and has five double-doubles.

Griffin has the team. The Sooners own their highest poll position, second to UConn, since 1990, and have their best 23-game record in school history at 22-1.

Griffin has the national television cachet, thanks to ESPN performances in New York and on the twin Big Mondays against Texas and OSU.

Griffin even has the votes, according to Rothstein's straw poll.

"I've seen a lot of players play, and I don't think there's a close second," Ford reiterated. "Watching him on film and going against him, I think hands down he will win it."



Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com

Two-sport first

If Blake Griffin wins a college basketball player of the year award, it will make history — no school has ever followed a Heisman Trophy winner with the basketball POY in the same sports season. OU's Sam Bradford has already won the Heisman.

UCLA came tantalizingly close. Quarterback Gary Beban captured the 1967 Heisman after center Lew Alcindor had won the Sporting News' 1966-67 hoops player of the year award. But Houston's Elvin Hayes took home the '67-68 POY award.

Alcindor, who did win the 1967-68 U.S. Basketball Writers Association award, rebounded to win the Sporting News' top honor in 1968-69.

Now Griffin takes his shot.

Sharing POY

College football's national player of the year is clear cut. He's the one who wins the Heisman Trophy.

With college basketball, it isn't as obvious. National media, coaches and other governing bodies vote on no less than five players of the year. The Associated Press awards the Rupp Trophy. The United States Basketball Writers Association awards the Robertson Trophy. The National Association of College Basketball Coaches names a player of the year. Most recognized are the Wooden and Naismith Awards, the closest basketball has to a Heisman.

It is conceivable, therefore, that Blake Griffin could share the POY award. The Sooners would take it; they've never had a player win any of the POY honors.

College basketball player of the year candidates

Blake Griffin
Oklahoma • Sophomore • F

Individual: 22.1 points, 14.1 rebounds

Team: 22-1, ranked No. 2

The overwhelming favorite thanks to numbers that include his NCAA-leading rebound average, and to the impact he’s had on the nation’s second-ranked team. Griffin can all but clinch OU’s first player of the year award in two weeks, when the Sooners play ESPN prime time games at Texas and against Kansas over a 50-hour stretch.

Tyler Hansbrough
North Carolina • Senior • F

Individual: 22.4 points, 7.6 rebounds

Team: 20-2, ranked No. 3

The consensus player of the year in 2007-08, Hansbrough has made a triumphant return but for a couple bumps: His double figure scoring streak ended at 55 games against Florida State on Jan. 28, and a shin injury kept him out of three of the Tar Heels’ first four games.

Stephen Curry
Davidson • Junior • G

Individual: 28.9 points, 6.3 assists

Team: 20-3, unranked

Became a media/fans darling after taking the Wildcats to within a missed buzzer beater of the ‘08 Final Four. Enhanced his reputation with star turns at various summer camps. Now leading the nation in scoring but will have trouble making a move on Griffin while buried in the Southern Conference until the NCAA Tournament.

By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

5 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (2/6/2009 9:14:06 AM)
BOOMER SOONER!

Blake you deserve this award.
Report Comment
Sharkey Hammerhead, owasso (2/6/2009 10:46:13 AM)
OU is knocking the socks off all the other schools in all sports .. It really says alot about the quality of coaches we have here at OU....The A.D. Joe is awesome .. Goooooooooooooo Sooners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get um BLAKE
Report Comment
always right, (2/6/2009 2:57:34 PM)
Sharing POY
College football's national player of the year is clear cut. He's the one who wins the Heisman Trophy.

It is conceivable, therefore, that Blake Griffin could share the POY award. The Sooners would take it; they've never had a player win any of the POY honors.........................

And if Courtney Paris wins as well it would be the Tri-Fecta
Report Comment
Sharkey Hammerhead, owasso (2/6/2009 6:26:41 PM)
You know the gymnasties are pretty good , the wrestling, and before to long the baseball, and softball will be going at it ,All around one great school not to mention the Academics.... Sooners are special, just ask us! Lol
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (2/6/2009 7:26:32 PM)
Shark. Get outside sometime.
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2009, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.