theGrio

Back to the Top

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Music
    • The Dish
  • Health
    • Ask Dr. Ty
    • Black Men’s Health
    • Black Women and Breast Cancer
    • Back to School Health
  • Living
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Living Forward
    • Books
  • Politics
    • Perry on Politics
  • Sports
  • News
    • Good News
  • Opinion

News

Baylor’s Brittney Griner focused on senior season

by Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press | October 15, 2012 at 4:53 PM
Comments
Print
Brittney Griner #42 of the Baylor Bears reacts in the first half against the Stanford Cardinal during the National Semifinal game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Pepsi Center on April 1, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Brittney Griner #42 of the Baylor Bears reacts in the first half against the Stanford Cardinal during the National Semifinal game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Pepsi Center on April 1, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Related Posts

  • Brittney Griner dunks career high, 3 times in Baylor win over FSU
  • Baylor's Brittney Griner more than just a girl who can dunk
  • theGrio's 100: Brittney Griner, setting the bar in women's basketball
  • Undefeated Baylor goes into the record books, beats Notre Dame in Women's NCAA championship game
  • Does Brittney Griner deserve a shot at the NBA?

WACO, Texas (AP) — Brittney Griner watched the Olympics and wished she was there. Thanks to the WNBA draft lottery, she might know where she’s going.

Before Rio in 2016, or even getting started in the pros next summer, there is still the senior season with the Lady Bears for the fun-loving All-American who can dunk and broke her right wrist in a longboarding accident this summer. Baylor is coming off the NCAA’s first 40-win season and returns every starter from its undefeated national championship team.

The accident on the elongated skateboard came after Griner had already removed herself from consideration for the 12th and final spot on the U.S. women’s basketball team that won gold at the London Olympics. She almost certainly would have been part of the team, but didn’t participate because of summer school classes she had to take and the ill health of her mother.

“She’s OK. Ups and downs, but she’s all right,” Griner said, but not wanting to elaborate on her mother’s health during an interview with The Associated Press.

Griner said she made the right choice to bypass the Olympics, even though she wished while watching the games that she was playing. The 6-foot-8 Griner was with USA Basketball in Europe last fall, when she averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.

“It was exciting just watching them,” Griner said. “It’s a great team, basically all my role models are on that team. It was just amazing knowing that I was with them for a little bit overseas. … Just to see them out there playing hard, playing strong, and bringing the gold home, it was good.”

When the WNBA draft lottery was held last month, the Phoenix Mercury won the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select the dominating post player next spring before Chicago chooses second and Tulsa third.

Griner watched the draft lottery with some friends, and she described them more excited than she was about her potential future destination.

“I’ve still got a year here and I’m looking forward to my year here,” said Griner, who told her friends one other thing that night: “They didn’t say they were picking me. They just got the No. 1 pick.”

The Lady Bears are the overwhelming favorite to win their third consecutive Big 12 title. They open the season Nov. 9 at home against Lamar.

Through her first three seasons at Baylor, Griner has averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game with a Big 12-record 594 blocked shots. She is the first NCAA player with 2,000 career points and 500 blocked shots.

In the NCAA tournament last season, Griner dunked twice. That matched Candace Parker for most dunks by a woman in NCAA tournament play and during a college career (seven).

After having to wear a cast this summer because of the broken radius bone, Griner’s wrist was fully healed before the Lady Bears started practicing this month. Griner worked to get stronger and faster this summer, and also to take on coach Kim Mulkey’s challenge for her to be a better offensive rebounder.

Griner didn’t fall off the longboard, but rather jumped off it when she was going down a ramp and realized she wouldn’t be able to make a turn. She got hurt after jumping off, then reaching out to catch herself against the wall.

“I was trying to save myself from falling off, but I still broke my arm,” Griner said.

Despite that accident, Mulkey hasn’t prohibited Griner from riding her longboard.

“Brittney’s pretty smart about it. She was doing a maneuver and saw that she was not going to make that turn,” Mulkey said. “She has her longboard, she’s pretty good at it. If I take everything away, I’d have to take a mo-ped away from a kid, I’d have to take skydiving away, snow skiing away. Which one do you take away? So just let them be college athletes. They’re not pro athletes.”

Skydiving, by the way, is still on Griner’s to-do list.

Griner had 26 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in Baylor’s 80-61 victory over Notre Dame in the national championship game in April. She said she has watched that game twice, the first time being an overnight ESPN replay with teammates in a Denver hotel hours after the game.

The other time was with a more critical eye.

“The first time, I was just in shock that we did it,” Griner said. “Then the second time, I was like, “Ooh, wish we would have done that better, wish we could have did that better, I could have dunked that time.’ I was just critiquing myself.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

  • Referee Andrew Keigans appears to be slapped down by Dion Robinson (Video still via You Tube)
    Next Story:

    Coach slaps youth football referee in the face, could face assault charge

  • Linebacker Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens greets fans before playing the Jacksonville Jaguars during the preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 23, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Ravens won 48-17. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
    Previous Story:

    Ray Lewis out for the season with arm injury

Filed in: News, Sports | Related Topics: Baylor Lady Bears, Brittney Griner, Brittney Griner Baylor, Brittney Griner Senior, Brittney Griner WNBA, WNBA
  • Learn about our User Panel

    Read More
  • New Stories on theGrio

    • New Orleans’ love affair with guns, in ‘black and white’ New Orleans’ love affair with guns, in ‘black and white’
    • President, first lady address HBCU graduates President, first lady address HBCU graduates
    • WATCH: ‘Pacific Rim’ official trailer WATCH: ‘Pacific Rim’ official trailer
    • Beyoncé pregnant? Beyoncé pregnant?
    • ‘Hit list’ graffiti targeting black students rankles California school
    • Could GOP’s Benghazi push benefit Susan Rice?
    • Natalie Cole blasts ‘Idol’ over Candice-JHud song
    • How ‘Scandal’ won
  • What Your Friends Are Reading

  • More from theGrio

More Stories on theGrio

Top News

Politics

  • Non-profit groups often look for tax breaks

    Democratic, liberal groups got IRS scrutiny too

  • Eric Holder grilled by House committee

  • Where was the outrage over IRS' NAACP audit?

  • North Miami mayoral candidate: 'Endorsed by Jesus Christ'

» Read More in Politics

Business

  • Eve

    A timeless classic: Top career lessons from ‘The Great Gatsby’

  • Boyz II Men appear in new Old Navy commercial

  • An open letter to PepsiCo on the Mountain Dew ad

  • Unemployment falls to 7.5 percent

» Read More in Business

Living

  • Natalie Clarice

    'Find Me My Man' star Natalie Clarice: Her tips for finding love

  • Zoe Saldana goes naked for Allure

  • 'Be My Slave' photo shoot causes controversy

  • Cory Booker raises thousands at UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball

» Read More in Living

Inspiration

  • Identical twins Kirstie and Kristie Bronner (Photo courtesy of Bronner family)

    Twins named Spelman valedictorians

  • DC Central Kitchen helps people struggling to join workforce

  • Man refuses to let disability hamper ability to teach

  • 'Supermom' dedicates her life to foster kids

» Read More in Inspiration

Entertainment

  • Common freestyles about his new film (Todd Johnson/theGrio.com)

    The top 5 rap lyrics of the week

  • Lauryn Hill's last show before prison?

  • BET awards nominations announced

  • Jaden's staying put: Why that's a good idea

» Read More in Entertainment

News

  • Charles Ramsey tattoo (Courtesy 252 Tattoo Facebook)

    Cleveland man gets tattoo of Charles Ramsey's face

  • O.J. Simpson testifies at hearing

  • Gosnell sentenced to life, juror speaks

  • Columbia University seeks to change whites-only fellowship

» Read More in News

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Politics
  • Living
  • Video
  • Inspire
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • News
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with TheGrio
  • About
©2013 NBCUniversal
Powered by WordPress.com VIP