Denver guard Cam Griffin, left, goes up for a shot against CSU forward Pierce Hornung on Nov. 21. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)
In his self-appraisal, Cam Griffin says he's a goofy person who likes to make other people laugh. Of course, the University of Denver sophomore guard claims he practices his sense of humor off the basketball floor.
However, coach Joe Scott says that some of Griffin's off-court personality slips into his basketball, and Scott looks at it as a plus.
"He has an infectious personality," Scott said of Griffin. "It shows in the infectious way he plays. Every team needs a player who brings that personality, but we don't need 10 of them."
In that regard, Griffin is a one-man show for the Pioneers. His infectious personality comes across as energy, and it has helped the Pioneers win five of their past six games, including Thursday night's 55-49 victory at Idaho. Coming off the bench, he had nine points in 27 minutes, including 5-of-5 from the free-throw line as the Pioneers (8-7, 4-1 WAC) rallied in the final minutes.
Behind 43-36 with eight minutes to play, Griffin completed a three-point play after he was fouled on a layup, and it started the Pioneers' 11-1 run for a 47-44 lead with 2? minutes left in the game. He added two foul shots with 15 seconds left to push the lead to 53-49.
Guard Chase Hallam led Denver with 15 points and junior forward Chris Udofia added 12.
Griffin is experiencing his first season of major playing time as a sophomore and has gradually become more of a factor as the season rolls along.
Griffin (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) has played in all of DU's games, started twice and has 25 assists, 19 steals, 52 rebounds and 6.8 points per game.
"I do feel as if I'm getting more comfortable in my role," Griffin said this week. "I'm getting to play the way I can to bring energy and a spark to the team. I've been able to make a dunk shot or make a big steal in just about every game."
Griffin plays with a flare he believes appeals to fans.
Scott is liking what he sees more and more.
"The most important thing, he's becoming more consistent every game," Scott said. "He has a big motor and he helps to bring different kinds of offensive and defensive opportunities to us. When you play with consistency in games and in practice, it means you are a veteran player. We're adding another veteran to the mix."
Griffin has his role models on the team. Hallam, the only senior, is the team's sage. Griffin would like to follow in the footsteps of Udofia and sophomore Royce O'Neale. O'Neale leads the Pioneers in scoring at 13.0 points a game, and Udofia is second at 11.9.
Griffin continues the DU-Texas connection. He's from San Antonio, while O'Neale, Udofia, Hallam and reserve Bryant Rucker are from the Lone Star State.
Griffin came north because of DU's ratings in academics, and he saw a basketball program on the way up.
When his playing days are over, he wants to stay connected to sports as a television broadcaster. His infectious personality will fit in well there too.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Source: http://feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/u1pxUgy09AY/gri-8734-n-brings-personality-energy-du
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