Column: Griffin breaks record

According to Griffin, at the beginning of the season, coach Mike Ruth urged him to break the record and he set a goal of 30 charges.



Griffin officially broke the record, during the Jan. 17 game against Stephens County with a total of 24. Since then, in the following five games, Griffin has been able to draw four more for 28 before this week’s competitions.

Drawing a charge looks easy from the perspective from the stands - just stand still and get hit. However, Griffin said there is a process to successfully drawing the charge.

“I try to figure out where they are trying to get to and I go stand in front of it,” Griffin said. “You want the referee to notice you, if he sees you fly through the air he is going to call something. I put my hands up so if I don’t get [the charge] I’m still in a good defensive position.”

To further draw attention from the referees, Griffin said he sometime has to give a grunt and make it look like it hurts.

Sometimes, it does hurt.

“When you hit the floor, you have to keep your neck stiff so your head doesn’t ricochet off the floor and you have to watch for knees. I have taken a couple of good shots, and swallowed a few feet.”

A key element of Griffin’s stance is that both feet have to be planted to the floor and his chest is out far enough to make contact with the opponent.

While Griffin is taking the hit, he relies on his team to provide pressure and send the opponent down the lane where he can draw the charge. For every charge Griffin gets, the Leopards get the ball.

“My teammates give me the opportunity and they always try to. I couldn’t do it without my team.”