Oklahoma Sooners

Men's Basketball

Blake Griffin will adorn the cover of Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

Griffin a Preseason All-American

Sophomore forward a unanimous first-team selection by Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

July 23, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - Opting for a second season of college basketball over a jump to the NBA last month, Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin picked up his first preseason All-America honor this week when Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook named him to its five-member first-team squad.

Griffin, a 6-10, 251-pounder from Oklahoma City, will be featured on the cover when the publication becomes available in mid-October.  Considered the "bible" of college basketball, Blue Ribbon also selected Darren Collison (UCLA), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina) and Luke Harangody (Notre Dame) as first-team All-Americans. 

"We poll several of our writers and editors as well as a team of outside experts when we select our All-America teams," said Blue Ribbon editor Chris Dortch.  "Blake Griffin was a unanimous pick for the first team.  Of course that means he was on my ballot, too.  I like him because of the intensity with which he plays the game.  His motor, coupled with his size, make him a player who has to be accounted for every second or he's going to cause problems for whoever tries to guard him.

"The other thing I liked about picking Blake to our first team was I just couldn't resist the coupling of him and Tyler Hansbrough.  Could you imagine playing a team that had both those guys on the floor at the same time? Talk about owning the paint.  I can only hope we'll see them together on a USA Basketball team someday."

Griffin helped the Sooners to a 23-12 overall record last year and to the NCAA Tournament second round by averaging 14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.  His scoring average was the highest by an OU true freshman in 24 years and he became the first OU freshman to earn first-team all-conference honors since Wayman Tisdale did it 25 years earlier.  Griffin also ranked third in the Big 12 Conference with his .568 field goal percentage and recorded 10 double-doubles on the season. 

Earlier this month, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas had this to say about Griffin:

"Blake Griffin is an absolute man on the floor.  I had the opportunity to work with him at the Nike Skills Academy, and he is one of the toughest and hardest working kids I have been around.  Blake is very talented, but it is his team-first, blue-collar attitude that truly sets him apart.  The kid is just a winner.  If you locked all of the college players in the country in a room and only one could battle his way out, it would be Blake Griffin coming out of that room."  

Griffin is one of seven returning Sooners for the 2008-09 season.  The group combined for 69 percent of OU's points last year, 68 percent of its rebounds and 72 percent of its assists.

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