Tigers’ guard Madison Griggs hopes to show she’s more than a one trick pony in her sophomore season
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BVM) – “Next man up” is one of the most cliché, but factual tropes that there are in sports. For one reason or another, players cannot suit up which means that someone has to step up.
When starting guard for the Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team Jamirah Shutes went down with a torn ACL around the midway point of the 2019-2020 season, the Tigers found themselves at a disadvantage. Shutes was their leading scorer and was second on the team with 31 made 3-pointers.
Despite the setback, the Tigers could not just mope around, instead they had to retool and identify which player would be the one to help make up for the loss.
It turned out that freshman guard Madison Griggs was willing and ready to capitalize on the opportunity. As a freshman, Griggs played in all 31 games and started 13 of them. She started the final 11 games of the season and played in at least 32 minutes in each of those games.
In her inaugural season, Griggs became the team’s go-to three point shooter and set records for both Memphis and in the American Athletic Conference.
Her 96 3-pointers set the Memphis single-season record for both men’s and women’s teams. It also surpassed the AAC’s freshman single-season three point record and ranked No.7 in the nation last season.
She was third on the team in points per game (10.8) and was second on the team with steals (36).
As impressive as her freshman year was, it seems that her game may be even better entering her sophomore season. Tigers’ head coach Melissa McFerrin was candid with the media about her improvement since last season.
“I’ve been really impressed with Madison this fall,” McFerrin said. “She took her fitness level very seriously. She has changed her eating habits. She is not just a shooter anymore, she has really challenged herself to be more of an all-around player.”
Despite the circumstances of the pandemic, Griggs made it an emphasis to work on her game this offseason.
“I would say that my game has grown.” Griggs said. “I’ve grown from just being a shooter. I would say I am an all-around player this year, defensively and offensively. I’ve worked a lot on my overall game this year.”
Though her physical growth has been something that makes her team happy, it has been the intangibles that have really spoken volumes throughout the team. Both Griggs and McFerrin have acknowledged that she has had an increase of confidence since seeing more playing time and it has begun to translate throughout the team.
“We selected three captains and Madison was one of them,” McFerrin said. “I really feel like because of her confidence level and because she’s worked on her skills, she knows that what she is able to produce is not by chance. You need players who put in that kind of work.”
Griggs, who has been widely considered a shy player, has started to become more vocal with her teammates, especially the younger players. With the latest additions to the team, Griggs has been active in giving them advice and has preached to them the importance of hard work.
“The advice I am giving our new recruits is to just put your all into it,” Griggs said. “Whether it be the game, practice, or getting up extra shots. It takes all that work to get better, especially at this level. It takes practicing before practice and that extra preparation to reach your potential and do the best that you can on the court.”
However, one thing that she cannot advise her teammates on is what it is like to play without fans. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Memphis has already announced that fans would not be permitted to start the season. Instead, players would just be able to play in front of their relatives.
Though this would normally be disheartening for young players, Griggs does not see it that way and is still focused on playing her best.
“I don’t think no fans are going to affect me a lot,” Griggs said. “I’m still going to play my game regardless of who’s there and who’s not there. I mean, I love the support but when I’m on the court I have to focus on my game. It will be a difference, but at the same time, we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Unfortunately, the Tigers have already felt the early effects of COVID as their first game was postponed. Now, they will be opening their season on Friday, Dec. 4 against Saint Louis.
Either way, this season looks like it will be a great one for Griggs and she is looking forward to showing the nation that she can do more than just hit long range shots.
“I want to show leadership,” Griggs said. “I want to show the diversity in my game and have different options to score besides just shooting all the time. I want to show that I have improved on defense and am an all-around better player.”
