Former Syracuse men’s basketball standout Former Syracuse men’s basketball standout Allen Griffin has been named an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, according to head coach Jim Boeheim. Griffin replaces Mike Hopkins, who accepted the head coaching position at Washington.
Griffin, who played at Syracuse from 1997-to-2001, brings 15 years of Division I coaching experience to his new post at Syracuse. He spent the last six years as an assistant coach on Archie Miller’s staff at Dayton.
“We are fortunate to be able to add someone of Allen’s caliber to our program,” said Boeheim. “In addition to the great familiarity he has with Syracuse basketball, he owns valuable experience gained coaching with other programs.”
Griffin, who has coached all three positions (guard, forward, center) at his previous coaching stops, will work primarily with the centers at Syracuse. He will also be involved in recruiting and opponent scouting for the Orange.
“Allen’s a proven national recruiter,” added Boeheim, “and he coached the big men at Dayton. He is a great fit for our staff.”
“I can’t express how excited I am to be back at Syracuse,” said Griffin. “It was a real honor to play for a Hall of Fame coach in Coach Boeheim and I feel the same way about being a member of his staff.
“I love Syracuse. I’ve enjoyed the places and people I’ve worked with in the past but I’ve always hoped I’d get the opportunity to come back. It’s like home to me.”
Griffin was a high school All-American at Paul Robeson High School in New York. He was a team captain and MVP as a junior and senior for Coach Larry Majors. Robeson won two division championships and reached the state finals during Griffin’s time with the club. He scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career.
He played on four teams that earned NCAA Tournament invitations at Syracuse. The Orange were 98-36 (.731) during that span. Griffin missed just one of 134 contests during his collegiate career and was a starter as a sophomore and a senior. After two seasons as a shooting guard with the Orange, he transitioned to the point-guard position. In his senior campaign, Griffin averaged 10.8 points, 6.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He earned United States Basketball Writers of America (USBWA) All-District 2 honors. Griffin is the most recent SU player to produce a triple double – he had 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Pittsburgh in 2000-01.
After earning his Syracuse degree in 2001, Griffin played professionally in Slovania for one season. He came back to Syracuse and spent one year as a teacher and girls’ basketball coach at Christian Brothers Academy. Griffin joined the Syracuse staff as director of basketball operations in 2003 and spent two years in the post.
Griffin was hired as an assistant at St. Francis in 2005. The following two years he was part of former SU assistant coach Tim Welsh’s staff at Providence. He returned to St. Francis for two seasons and spent one campaign as an assistant at Hofstra before his hire at Dayton.
The Flyers were 139-63 during Griffin’s tenure. Dayton made one NIT appearance and four straight NCAA Tournament visits in the six seasons. Archie Miller, who hired Griffin at Dayton, was recently named the Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year, and was hired as head coach at Indiana. has been named an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, according to head coach Jim Boeheim. Griffin replaces Mike Hopkins, who accepted the head coaching position at Washington.
Griffin, who played at Syracuse from 1997-to-2001, brings 15 years of Division I coaching experience to his new post at Syracuse. He spent the last six years as an assistant coach on Archie Miller’s staff at Dayton.
“We are fortunate to be able to add someone of Allen’s caliber to our program,” said Boeheim. “In addition to the great familiarity he has with Syracuse basketball, he owns valuable experience gained coaching with other programs.”
Griffin, who has coached all three positions (guard, forward, center) at his previous coaching stops, will work primarily with the centers at Syracuse. He will also be involved in recruiting and opponent scouting for the Orange.
“Allen’s a proven national recruiter,” added Boeheim, “and he coached the big men at Dayton. He is a great fit for our staff.”
“I can’t express how excited I am to be back at Syracuse,” said Griffin. “It was a real honor to play for a Hall of Fame coach in Coach Boeheim and I feel the same way about being a member of his staff.
“I love Syracuse. I’ve enjoyed the places and people I’ve worked with in the past but I’ve always hoped I’d get the opportunity to come back. It’s like home to me.”
Griffin was a high school All-American at Paul Robeson High School in New York. He was a team captain and MVP as a junior and senior for Coach Larry Majors. Robeson won two division championships and reached the state finals during Griffin’s time with the club. He scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career.
He played on four teams that earned NCAA Tournament invitations at Syracuse. The Orange were 98-36 (.731) during that span. Griffin missed just one of 134 contests during his collegiate career and was a starter as a sophomore and a senior. After two seasons as a shooting guard with the Orange, he transitioned to the point-guard position. In his senior campaign, Griffin averaged 10.8 points, 6.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He earned United States Basketball Writers of America (USBWA) All-District 2 honors. Griffin is the most recent SU player to produce a triple double – he had 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Pittsburgh in 2000-01.
After earning his Syracuse degree in 2001, Griffin played professionally in Slovania for one season. He came back to Syracuse and spent one year as a teacher and girls’ basketball coach at Christian Brothers Academy. Griffin joined the Syracuse staff as director of basketball operations in 2003 and spent two years in the post.
Griffin was hired as an assistant at St. Francis in 2005. The following two years he was part of former SU assistant coach Tim Welsh’s staff at Providence. He returned to St. Francis for two seasons and spent one campaign as an assistant at Hofstra before his hire at Dayton.
The Flyers were 139-63 during Griffin’s tenure. Dayton made one NIT appearance and four straight NCAA Tournament visits in the six seasons. Archie Miller, who hired Griffin at Dayton, was recently named the Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year, and was hired as head coach at Indiana.
