UConn’s Aubrey Griffin is the epitome of modern basketball

When constructing a team, what is the ideal archetype to surround your high-usage guard or post-player? Likely a do-it-all, Swiss army-knife wing. The problem is these types of players come few and far between, so if they happen to become available in the draft — WNBA organizations will certainly pounce on the opportunity to select them. 

In the 2022 WNBA Draft, the Indiana Fever selected Louisville’s Emily Engstler with the No. 4 pick. Australian wing Rebecca Allen, nicknamed ‘Spida’ for her long wingspan, has carved out a valuable role in the league. The same goes for Rebekah Gardner, a 31-year-old rookie who was a vital gap-filler for the defending champion Chicago Sky in 2022. Turn to newly-acquired Atlanta Dream wing Allisha Gray, a former No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft, as a high-end outcome for this archetype.

Each of those players has distinct abilities that make them special, but the consensus: they will help you play winning basketball.

Insert UConn’s Aubrey Griffin, a native of Ossining, New York, with a unique athletic background.

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Her father, Adrian Griffin Sr., carved out a nine-year NBA career and is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. Griffin’s mother, Audrey Sterling, was an All-American track athlete at Seton Hall. If that wasn’t already enough, her older brother, Alan, was a starter for a Syracuse team that made a March Madness run in 2020-21, and her younger brother, AJ, is one of the most promising young wings in the NBA currently.

Despite the family’s rooted interest in basketball, soccer was Aubrey’s first love.

“Growing up, she was big into soccer,” Griffin Sr. told The Next. “I could tell at a young age that she was extremely athletic, so fast, I just remember the referees used to call her for offsides a lot of times; her team had a strategy of kicking it and letting her go.”

Even to this day, this is evident in Griffin’s role within UConn’s offensive scheme on the hardwood. She is at the forefront of the Huskies’ open-court attack, ranking in the 94th percentile nationally in transition, her most common play type, according to Synergy Sports.