A.J. Griffin’s emergence with Duke ‘not a surprise’
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (BVM) — With Paolo Banchero drawing most of college basketball’s attention to open up the 2021 campaign, there seems to be another Duke phenom who’s capturing the basketball world’s recognition as the season heads on.
After working back from an early-season knee injury, freshman forward A.J. Griffin found himself starting for the Blue Devils in the team’s 15th game of the season. The opportunity wasn’t one that Griffin was willing to hand back, notching a career-high 22 points against Wake Forest, before later breaking that with a 27-point outburst against North Carolina.
“He’s (Griffin’s) worked hard,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after his team’s win over North Carolina. “No one has worked any harder than that kid.”
The midseason emergence from Griffin may be a surprise to some, but for White Plains (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac coach Patrick Massaroni, the recent breakout comes as no shock for he and his staff.
“Everything that A.J. is doing is not a surprise to me or anybody at Stepinac because we’ve seen this since he was a freshman, [and] a little more as a sophomore,” Massaroni said. “Obviously, he was hampered by a knee injury in October which impacted his performance early on, [but he’s] gained the trust of his coaching staff and performed. They’ve given him the chance and he’s taken it and now he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Massaroni has seen it all with Griffin, with their relationship dating back to his freshman year with the Stepinac program. Massaroni coached his brother, Alan, the year before and saw that A.J. had all the makings of being a “special” player early on. After coming off the bench for an uber-talented Stepinac team his freshman season, A.J. would take things to the new level during his sophomore campaign.
Things would pick up nationally for the 6-foot-6 forward in that season, as A.J. rose to the top of the basketball recruiting ranks. Along with a rare physical frame, Massaroni says A.J. deserves all the credit for working hard during the pair’s time together. The Crusaders’ coach notes he took a “back seat” as coaching assistant Rodney Swain and A.J. spent countless extra hours in the gym.
“I think he’s worked really hard to get to where he is right now, and the thing with A.J., he was always young,” Massaroni said of the Blue Devils’ second youngest player. “Being in the spot he is today is because of how hard he’s worked and nothing’s been a given for him.”
Along with Coach Swain, A.J. has had a great support system to help him get to where he’s at today. A.J.’s mother, a former Seton Hall track star, and father, a Toronto Raptors assistant coach, have been crucial in helping the Duke forward keep his competitive drive going. It also helps that he can rely on his siblings, Alan and Audrey, to keep him working at the highest level.
“He’s been around the game since he was a little kid,” Massaroni said. “His dad playing and coaching and then all of his family being competitive athletes, it helped his growth. Being around guys like Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and you go down the list… has definitely had to help and assist him get to where he is today.”
As Massaroni tunes in to keep tabs on all of his past players, he got the special experience of watching two of his former players go head-to-head in person. Massaroni and his wife headed down to watch A.J. play former Stepinac alum and North Carolina point guard R.J. Davis, in one of college basketball’s most prolific rivalries.
“When you see two of your guys starting on the biggest stage, arguably one of the best rivalries in all of college, if not all of sports, Duke and (North) Carolina, it was just a pretty surreal moment,” Massaroni said. “To be able to just sit there and enjoy that moment and soak it in to see the two guys go at it, two guys that have helped our program and our school and from Westchester, New York, it was just surreal… I wish the game could have ended in a tie.”
A.J. Griffin has been incredible tonight 💪#ACCMBB | @DukeMBB
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/CfhULCZnkw
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) February 6, 2022
The opportunity to play against his former teammate wasn’t lost on A.J. either, as the two enjoyed a pregame chat and handshake afterwards in A.J.’s historic night.
“We talked about in high school just being able to both be at this level playing against each other,” A.J. said post-game. “It really gives me flashbacks from just practice and seeing him hoop. Both of us are just having fun out there and playing ball… Stepinac is always going to be like a family.”
With A.J. and Duke primed for a postseason run, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the two matchup up in another conference battle. Until then, A.J. is continuing to find ways to impact the game, regularly growing trust with his Duke coaching staff. As his name gets brought up for the upcoming draft, nothing will surprise his former coach when it comes to just how far he can take his game.
“He’s always been a special kid, he’s always been a special person, [and] he’s got a special work ethic,” Massaroni said. “He’s put himself in a position to help Duke win a national championship [and] potentially be All-Rookie for the ACC if not all league as a freshman…
“He’s got to continue to work and continue to stay focused… but the sky’s the limit for him. At 18-years-old he’s got the brightest future on his body continuing to develop and his game developing and he’s got the work ethic, so everything else will continue to fall into place.”
