Q&A with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin’s freshman season at Oklahoma revealed his talent, tenacity and toughness. Griffin led OU back into the NCAA Tournament and established himself as a likely NBA Draft Lottery prospect, then surprised everyone by postponing his pro career. Here he talks about his decision, his game, OU’s chances and his basketball family that includes a brother who is a teammate and a father who coached him to four state championships in high school.

Athlon Sports: What was Coach (Jeff) Capel’s reaction when you told him you were coming back?

Blake Griffin: He was surprised. He actually asked me if he was getting punked. He was pretty happy.

What about teammates, classmates, people you’d bump into?

Some people would congratulate me. Some people would ask me why. Why do you want to come back to OU? I said, ‘It’ll pay off.’ Coach Capel’s a good coach and we’ll have a good team. For the most part, everybody was excited.

What’s next for this team?

We’re definitely excited. Everyone’s working hard right now. We’re looking to have a solid run and make a deep run in the Tournament. I think it gives guys motivation to work hard. It keeps us going and gives us something to work towards.

At what point last year did you realize you were going to have a special freshman season?

I felt like I could play and I could compete. But I probably didn’t hit that point until around Christmas time, when we had a stretch of four games we won against good teams (Arkansas, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Rice). I started to play better and I felt like I could be better. I think that’s when it hit me and I realized I could have a bigger impact than I felt before.

What was your favorite moment last year?

Probably just all the close games we won. The Texas Tech game, when David Godbold hit a 30-footer to win it. When Tony Crocker had the four-point play to beat Baylor. Those were fun games because everyone contributed and everyone did something. Those were huge wins for us.

Twice last year, you came back earlier than expected from knee injuries. Do you have super-human healing powers, or are you just tougher than the next guy?

I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our trainers and our team doctor. They did a great job of getting me to places I needed to be and then working with me constantly. I’d stay in the training room most of the day, getting treatments and rehabbing and stuff like that. And having the resources around me to help me, that just allowed me to come back quicker than expected.

Who was the best player you played against last year?

Probably either Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. Doesn’t get much better than that.

What is the best opposing gym you play in?

I thought Kansas was pretty tough. I wasn’t in the game long. I got hurt in that game, but I felt that was a tough gym. The fans are right on top of you and they’re so loud. Not playing, I could hear them the whole game.

Who has the most passionate fans in the conference? You can’t say OU’s.

I’d say Kansas. By the time we got to the gym, the student sections were both packed. They were just waiting. And all their fans are into the game, not just the students. Everybody’s loud and everybody’s standing up. There’s a lot of passion there.

What makes Jeff Capel such a good coach?

His insight into the game. His basketball IQ. He knows so much about basketball, for such a young age. Just how professional and passionate he is. He always wants to win. He wants to make guys better. That’s a great combination. And he can relate to us. It wasn’t all that long ago he was in our exact same position. I think it’s a combination of all those things.

What’s the best part of your game?

I’d say finishing down low and rebounding right now.

What’s the worst part?

Well, I’m working on my shot a lot right now, trying to extend it out. I’d say that’s what I need to work on the most.

How tough was the decision to come back?

When it came down to it, it wasn’t that tough. At first, I didn’t really know which way to go. I was kind of back and forth with it every other day. But once I thought about it and really took in the circumstances, it became easier for me. And I’m really glad I did.

What’s it been like playing all these years with your brother, Taylor?

It’s awesome, having someone right there I can always count on to tell me the truth. I don’t have to worry about if he’s going to say something because that’s what I want to hear. He’s going to tell me what I need to hear and keep me grounded and make sure I’m doing the right things. There’s an advantage having somebody there that’s always looking out for me.

So Taylor’s a pretty good critic?

Oh yeah, he definitely is. He’s one of my biggest fans, but at the same time, he knows he needs to stay on top of me and help me out as much as he can. I try to do the same thing for him.

With Taylor already at OU, was it a foregone conclusion you’d be a Sooner, too?

Not at all. I really wasn’t too into OU until Coach Capel got there. I was a little bit. But building a relationship with Coach Capel and talking to Taylor about how he felt the team was going and with the new coaches coming in, that’s when I made my decision. But it definitely wasn’t one of those things where I was definitely going to OU.

You played high school ball for your dad, Tommy, a highly successful coach. What did it mean to be around him all those years?

I think it helped me a lot, just watching and learning and understanding, picking up different things, going back as long as I can remember. And also just having my dad there. He knows the game. And he knew how to push me and how to get on to me and make me work hard, which is what I needed. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to play for him, just because he did get on to me a lot more. It was a great opportunity and a great experience playing for my dad.

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