Derrick Griffin is one of two incoming freshmen (Corn Elder is the other) expected to play both football and basketball for the Miami Hurricanes. The question always was, how much basketball were the two football recruits really going to play? However, early this summer Griffin’s eligibility to attend the University of Miami became an issue.
Derrick Griffin's status: He already passed the Texas equivalency test. Took an admissions test for UM. Waiting on score. Has 3 more shots.
— Papa Cane (@ByPapaCane) May 24, 2013
Well, The State of the U got the scoop on Griffin’s recent eligibility issues.
“I’m still going to Miami” said Griffin on Monday afternoon. “I got to go to a prep school for 3 months, then I can go to Miami and play basketball. That’s all to it.”
Yep, this basically means that Griffin, a 6-6 power forward out of Rosenberg, Texas will not be eligible to play football as a freshman, but could potentially play most of the basketball season, depending on when he actually starts prep school.
This could turn into a nice little break for basketball coach Jim Larranaga, who is expecting eight new faces on campus this season and is desperate for big bodies to bang in the paint.
Griffin is an extremely athletic combo forward who is only happy when he’s dunking. He can rebound on both sides of the floor and he is capable of guarding multiple positions thanks to good size (about 220 pounds) and lateral quickness.
Right now, I got DePaul transfer Donnavan Kirk and sophomore Tonye Jekiri starting at the 4-5 spots for Miami. After those two, the Hurricanes have 6-7 junior transfer James Kelly and senior Raphael Akpejiori.
I can certainly see Griffin sneaking onto the court getting playing time on the court at the 3-4-5 spots.
