Griffin Brings New Goals, Philosophy to Lady Royals

Women's basketball coach Kevin Griffin has big plans for the program that he took over in early September. His goals are to "ultimately win the ODAC and go from there," Griffin said.

Griffin, a 1993 EMU graduate, knows that an Old Dominion Athletic Conference crown will not come easily and will have to be earned, but he likes the effort his team is putting forth. "I have been very impressed with our work ethic and I am impressed that so many people are contributing to the success of the team," said Kevin Griffin.

Although it is Griffin's first year here at EMU, he is not new to basketball and is currently in his thirteenth year as a basketball coach. Griffin has not only brought a love of the game to the team, but also a number of positive goals for the team and the program itself. "My goals are to recruit quality student athletes who fit the vision of our school and who are willing to work to do the right thing." Griffin went on to say that as a coach he wants to play the right way and then let whatever happens from then on happen. However, Griffin does not keep this idea to himself. He expects his team and coaches, on whom he relies heavily, to feel the same way.

In the preseason ODAC rankings the Royals were picked to place seventh, but according to Griffin the team expects more. "We all thought we could be better than that...I think we have all felt that we have a chance to do something special." Currently the Lady Royals sit well ahead of the preseason ranking at 4th place. Now it is just a matter of putting it all together when tournament time rolls around. Regardless of how the team finishes this year, Griffin has worked hard at making sure the team builds relationships. Team chemistry is an important part of any team's success.

Griffin uses three words to describe the way he wants his team to play: hard, smart, and together. Each game he expects his players to play hard, play together, and play smart, and if they take care of those three things Griffin believes winning will take care of itself. "This is something that we stress before every game... our team focuses on out-hustling, out-running, and going after it one hundred percent," said Jolene Kratz, a sophomore center. The Lady Royals will be sure to keep those three words in mind as they head into their final month of competition.