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Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-24.
If the transfer portal existed in the world of college basketball from 2009-2013, chances are my 24th favorite Illinois basketball player of my fandom, Tyler Griffey, would not have played all four seasons in Champaign.
Of course, as a senior, Griffey hit one of the most iconic shots in Illinois basketball history, slipping a screen, cutting to the basket and making a layup at the horn to give Illinois a 74-72 victory against #1 Indiana at the Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013.
At this point in time, I was in the middle of my first year of teaching, hitting the rookie wall, preparing the next day's lesson as I jumped off from my couch and went crazy following Griffey's improbable heroics. I couldn't have been happier for Illinois and Griffey, a kid who bided his time and always accepted whatever role he had to play, seemingly always stuck behind someone else but responding when called into action.
From St. Louis, Missouri, Griffey was part of one of my favorite Illinois recruiting classes of all time, the 2009 edition that featured Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Joseph Bertrand. Less heralded than the following 2010 class of Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head, Griffey's class had far more impact as Illini than their much more heralded and disappointing successors.
As a freshman, Griffey did not get much playing time, as he was behind junior Mike Davis and senior Dominique Keller. However, from what I saw of Griffey, I really liked.
I remember the first time I saw him play as an Illini. It was a Saturday night game against Presbyterian. The Illini won big, 94-48, with Griffey catching my eye. In just 15 minutes of playing time, Griffey had 9 points on 4-for-7 from the field and 9 rebounds. I was especially impressed with his little push shot/half hook on the baseline. It was clear to me that this Griffey kid knew how to play and needed to get more time. Note: I tried to upload this game to YouTube, but for some reason it kept getting blocked. I wonder if it has something to do with the school Presbyterian.
Griffey would start later that season as Illinois upset Michigan State at a home game where ESPN's Gameday was present. He would also come up big against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, hitting several big threes as the Illini nearly upset the Buckeyes before falling short during a double-overtime thriller.
Unfortunately for Griffey, he was caught in a numbers crunch for the first two seasons of his Illini career. Head Coach Bruce Weber had assembled quite the deep roster, with Griffey's minutes never guaranteed.
Still, Griffey never complained or quit on the Illini. When he was put in the lineup, he responded well, giving Illinois great effort and minutes, a heady player who quite honestly deserved more playing time as a more heralded player like Richmond was seemingly not fully committed to the team.
I remember when Richmond missed the road game at Wisconsin that season, with Griffey asked about the whereabouts of his teammate. Griffey politely said something to the effect that he was not going to answer any questions about Richmond. On a team that desperately needed some leadership, Griffey seemed to be a mature kid who understood that things were not well with the Illini. Personally, I always appreciated Griffey's honesty and sense of humor as he was a quite funny kid.
As a junior, Griffey was finally the starting power forward for an Illini team that got off to a great start before falling apart. That season is a hard one to remember, with Weber ultimately getting fired. While it would have been easy, but not as easy as it is today, for Richardson, Paul and Griffey to leave, they stuck with the program.
During Jon Groce's first season, the senior trio led Illinois to the Maui Invitational title, with Griffey bombing threes against Butler in the championship game. I'll never forget Griffey saying how this was the most fun he was ever having playing basketball. It was great to see Griffey, Richardson and Paul experience such success after enduring so much the first three seasons of their career, missing the NCAA Tournament twice and going through a maddening sophomore season of drama and disappointment.
Ultimately, Illinois returned to the NCAA Tournament that season, with Griffey serving as a sixth man. During his final game against Miami (FL), Griffey left it all on the court, scoring 12 points on 4-for-6 from three off the bench. As often was the case during his four seasons, the Illini were so close to doing great things, in this case upsetting Miami, but couldn't get over the hump, in large part due to a horrible out-of-bounds call at the end of the game.
During a tumultuous four seasons, Griffey, Paul, Richardson and Bertrand, who redshirted his freshman season, were four players Illini fans could always count on. Personally, they deserved more team success with the Illini during a time it was clear that the program needed a fresh start.
While Groce wasn't the right hire for Illinois, he looked to be after his first season thanks to Paul, Richardson and Griffey, a truly underappreciated Illini in my humble opinion.
To me, Griffey not only had a sneaky good game but represented loyalty to the Illini, and for that, he will always be a player I remember fondly!
Below are some full games of Griffey playing well as a freshman against Michigan State and Ohio State, as a junior at Michigan, and as a senior against Butler and Indiana!
- #30 Morez Johnson Jr.
- #29 Marcus Arnold.
- #28 Matthew Mayer.
- #27 Kevin Turner.
- #26 Mike Davis.
- #25 Trent Frazier.
- #24 D.J. Richardson.
If the transfer portal existed in the world of college basketball from 2009-2013, chances are my 24th favorite Illinois basketball player of my fandom, Tyler Griffey, would not have played all four seasons in Champaign.
Of course, as a senior, Griffey hit one of the most iconic shots in Illinois basketball history, slipping a screen, cutting to the basket and making a layup at the horn to give Illinois a 74-72 victory against #1 Indiana at the Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013.
At this point in time, I was in the middle of my first year of teaching, hitting the rookie wall, preparing the next day's lesson as I jumped off from my couch and went crazy following Griffey's improbable heroics. I couldn't have been happier for Illinois and Griffey, a kid who bided his time and always accepted whatever role he had to play, seemingly always stuck behind someone else but responding when called into action.
From St. Louis, Missouri, Griffey was part of one of my favorite Illinois recruiting classes of all time, the 2009 edition that featured Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Joseph Bertrand. Less heralded than the following 2010 class of Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head, Griffey's class had far more impact as Illini than their much more heralded and disappointing successors.
As a freshman, Griffey did not get much playing time, as he was behind junior Mike Davis and senior Dominique Keller. However, from what I saw of Griffey, I really liked.
I remember the first time I saw him play as an Illini. It was a Saturday night game against Presbyterian. The Illini won big, 94-48, with Griffey catching my eye. In just 15 minutes of playing time, Griffey had 9 points on 4-for-7 from the field and 9 rebounds. I was especially impressed with his little push shot/half hook on the baseline. It was clear to me that this Griffey kid knew how to play and needed to get more time. Note: I tried to upload this game to YouTube, but for some reason it kept getting blocked. I wonder if it has something to do with the school Presbyterian.
Griffey would start later that season as Illinois upset Michigan State at a home game where ESPN's Gameday was present. He would also come up big against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, hitting several big threes as the Illini nearly upset the Buckeyes before falling short during a double-overtime thriller.
Unfortunately for Griffey, he was caught in a numbers crunch for the first two seasons of his Illini career. Head Coach Bruce Weber had assembled quite the deep roster, with Griffey's minutes never guaranteed.
Still, Griffey never complained or quit on the Illini. When he was put in the lineup, he responded well, giving Illinois great effort and minutes, a heady player who quite honestly deserved more playing time as a more heralded player like Richmond was seemingly not fully committed to the team.
I remember when Richmond missed the road game at Wisconsin that season, with Griffey asked about the whereabouts of his teammate. Griffey politely said something to the effect that he was not going to answer any questions about Richmond. On a team that desperately needed some leadership, Griffey seemed to be a mature kid who understood that things were not well with the Illini. Personally, I always appreciated Griffey's honesty and sense of humor as he was a quite funny kid.
As a junior, Griffey was finally the starting power forward for an Illini team that got off to a great start before falling apart. That season is a hard one to remember, with Weber ultimately getting fired. While it would have been easy, but not as easy as it is today, for Richardson, Paul and Griffey to leave, they stuck with the program.
During Jon Groce's first season, the senior trio led Illinois to the Maui Invitational title, with Griffey bombing threes against Butler in the championship game. I'll never forget Griffey saying how this was the most fun he was ever having playing basketball. It was great to see Griffey, Richardson and Paul experience such success after enduring so much the first three seasons of their career, missing the NCAA Tournament twice and going through a maddening sophomore season of drama and disappointment.
Ultimately, Illinois returned to the NCAA Tournament that season, with Griffey serving as a sixth man. During his final game against Miami (FL), Griffey left it all on the court, scoring 12 points on 4-for-6 from three off the bench. As often was the case during his four seasons, the Illini were so close to doing great things, in this case upsetting Miami, but couldn't get over the hump, in large part due to a horrible out-of-bounds call at the end of the game.
During a tumultuous four seasons, Griffey, Paul, Richardson and Bertrand, who redshirted his freshman season, were four players Illini fans could always count on. Personally, they deserved more team success with the Illini during a time it was clear that the program needed a fresh start.
While Groce wasn't the right hire for Illinois, he looked to be after his first season thanks to Paul, Richardson and Griffey, a truly underappreciated Illini in my humble opinion.
To me, Griffey not only had a sneaky good game but represented loyalty to the Illini, and for that, he will always be a player I remember fondly!
Below are some full games of Griffey playing well as a freshman against Michigan State and Ohio State, as a junior at Michigan, and as a senior against Butler and Indiana!
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