STORRS — Was 1 year and 7 months, or 587 days.
That’s how long Aubrey Griffin has gone without playing a meaningful basketball game. UConn Women’s Basketball.
At the opener of the 2022-23 season on Thursday night, the redshirt junior showed that she feels like her old self after an injury kept her sitting all season long last season. He appeared confident in his play from the fast break, making all but one of his seven shots. Against.
‘We saw Aubrey do what he does best,’ says UConn coach Geno Auriemma Said. “She’s slowly, slowly, slowly coming back to her former self. We know she has the ability to make an immediate impact once she’s in the game.”
Griffin joined Storrs in 2019 as the #21 ranked recruit in the nation. She is a McDonald’s All-American and was named 2019 Miss She New York Basketball. She appeared in all of her 32 games as a freshman, averaging 6.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. That spring she was named to her 2020 AAC All-Tournament Team.
Her role increased as a sophomore. She made five starts and averaged 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 16.8 minutes per game. Griffin played six minutes in her UConn Final Four match where she lost to Arizona. This was her last match before her comeback this fall.
Griffin didn’t get a chance to wear a suit during his real third year.
She suffered a sprained ankle during preseason last year. The 6-foot-1 forward missed the team’s first few games while simultaneously injuring her back during her sophomore year. begin to resurface.
Her back pain (later confirmed by UConn to be a disc injury) was excruciating. She had difficulty standing for long periods of time and she could hardly walk.
On January 10, she underwent a discectomy, took four months to recover, and was ruled out for the rest of the season. She returned to Ossining, New York and began her recovery surrounded by her family.
UConn’s Aubrey Griffin throws a free throw against Katstown on Sunday, November 6.
Photo contributed via Austin Bigony/UConn“Of course we were disappointed and she was disappointed, but at that point we were trying everything and just trying to see on the positive side that she is no longer in pain.” Aubrey’s mother, Audrey Griffin, said last year.
The rest of her 2021-22 season was spent watching the Huskies on TV at home. Other days she practiced walking up and down stairs with a cane.
She returned to the Storrs before the postseason. She still needs a cane to walk, but her return with her teammates has sparked more sparks not only for her, but for the other huskies as they march to her madness.
Aubrey’s father, Adrian Griffin, is a former NBA player and current assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. told Hearst CT Media last March“Looking at the season, I think you can clearly see how much they miss her and what she brings to the table.. love her.”
the griffin spent the summer concentrate on her recoveryNow that she has completed conditioning, training and rehab, she was able to go 100 percent At UConn’s exhibition game on November 6th.
she is First sub off bench in exhibition game against Katztown The crowd at XL Center cheered and cheered as the announcer called out her name. Griffin finished the exhibition with 6 points, 2 steals, 1 block and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes.
“By doing those things again, she feels better about herself and gives us a different kind of wings than Azi (Fad), Caroline (Ducharm) and Lou (Lopez Seneschal).” Auriemma said on Sunday. “She brings something completely different.”
Four days later, on his formal return to court, UConn season openerGriffin was again the first sub off the bench.
Despite being called twice for early fouls, Griffin looked comfortable and confident. She sticks out a loose ball and slams it into the basket without hesitation. She also made her only 3-point attempt (this was her 5th 3-pointer in her career).
“She had some great finishes,” said Auriemma. “When she starts with a small 15-footer and puts in a 3, she gains a tremendous amount of confidence. That’s always been the number one thing we’ve tried to help Aubrey. Just be confident.” I’m confident, she certainly looked like that today.”
At the 5:15 mark of the third quarter, Griffin intercepted a pass between two Northeastern players and ran up the court with the ball. She eurostepped around a defender in Key before jumping to secure a layup. It was one of her two steal-and-score plays.
Griffin had 13 points (6-of-7 shooting), five rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes.
“I’m happy to have Aubrey back,” said junior Aaliyah Edwards. “She brings athleticism to our team and a very explosive drive to the rim. increase.”
With freshman Ice Brady recovering from a dislocated patella, Griffin going into the season injury-free is a huge boost for the Huskies. Her athleticism and on-court versatility will be essential as UConn kicks off a tough stretch of non-conference opponents starting Monday against Third Texas (6:30 p.m., Gumpel her pavilion) .
“It’s been a long road,” Griffin said before UConn practice on Oct. 31. “But I’m starting to feel like myself again.”
Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediact.com @maggie_vanoni
