JANE LEE
Sports Editor
Senior guard Chase Griffin sits outside Firestone Fieldhouse, the place he’s called home for the past five years. “How can you beat that view?” he says, looking out toward the ocean on a chilly afternoon. Griffin can’t believe his playing days in the Fieldhouse are over, but he said when it finally sinks in, “it will be sad, but I’ll think back to what a fun career I had.” As the Waves prepare for the West Coast Conference Tournament on Friday, Griffin sat down to talk ball, memorable moments and future plans in this week’s edition of “10 Minutes With…”
So it’s been a big year for you. When you think back on the season, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
“I thought the last game was a huge game for us because it was either going to give us momentum going into the playoffs or make the season worse than it already has been. And Santa Clara was the No.-1 team in the conference, so we beat them. During the last couple of days there has been a different aura in the locker room, with confidence. So I think the guys on the team have a pretty confident outlook on what could happen. So I think that last game was really big and showed that we can make a push in the tournament. We use the women’s team from last year as an example. We think, if they can do it, then heck we can do it. We’ve been stressing all year that it’s a three-season year. You have your preseason, then you start over and then you have your season and you start over and you have your postseason. So we’re on phase three now, so you throw everything out the window and you start over. And we have the momentum, so anything can happen. We just have to take one game at a time. It’s gonna be tough because you have to win four games in four days, but it’s very possible.”
What have been some of your most memorable moments during your time here at Pepperdine?
“Mostly stuff off the court. I think when I look back on my time here, it’s not going to be about how many games we won or how many points I scored. It’s gonna be the team camaraderie and being together as a family. We spend four hours a day with each other, and it’s basically a family. So it’s more about the road trips and bus rides and having a good time with one another. On the court, personally, it’s been a very good year. The record stands out as a negative, but personally, I’ll look back and say I gave it my all my senior year and went out strong.
“One thing is I always wanted to beat Gonzaga, but we never did so that kind of sucks. But maybe we’ll get the chance in the tournament. How amazing would that be on ESPN national TV? But really, this year the team’s so nice, we’ve been able to get along so well. A great memory was in New Mexico when we played a tournament there. It snowed like a foot and a half. All the airports shut down, so we had to take a bus ride from New Mexico to LA, so it took us 16 hours and we got to bond. Plus the bus didn’t have heat, so we stopped at a gas station to buy gloves for the bus.”
Some people have criticized Coach Walberg’s style of play, and you had Mike Gerrity and Chris Oakes leave. Personally, what have been your thoughts on his system?
“When he came in, we had four coaches total come and talk to the team. He was by far the favorite because his style of play sounded so much fun. It’s a run-in-gun mentality where you get the ball, you get the rebound, you take it out of the hoop and you just go and it’s a pass-pass-shoot method. I just think everybody really liked him. With Chris and Mike leaving, it was really weird because I thought his style of play really matched the way they play. The thing is, in this style of play, there’s never going to be one guy that stands out. Everybody’s going to score, the stats are going be spread out evenly, and I think Gerrity wanted to be the man, and so he went to a program where he could be the man. I really don’t know why Chris left, though.
“Personally, I was really excited when Walberg came in. It’s not that I didn’t like (Paul) Westphal; I just didn’t like his philosophies. So when we got the new coach and he started explaining his philosophy, I was pumped, and it’s going to be successful in the long run. He doesn’t have his type of players yet, so down the road I think they are going to start winning games. Coach Walberg just needs a little time and Pepperdine basketball’s going be successful.”
How did the departure of Gerrity affect you since you pretty much stepped up and took over his role?
“Gerrity’s a great basketball player, and you can’t take that away from him. I’ve always liked his game, and he was going to be the man, and when somebody leaves like that, you have to step up. Same thing with Chris — he was our main big guy and we were looking for him to do a lot of the scoring and rebounding, and when he left, Jarrad and Willie had to step up. When Gerrity left, all the guards had to step up, so it gave myself and Marvin and, really, everyone a chance to step up so I took advantage of it.
What’s something many people would be surprised to know about you?
“I love to play golf. This summer I played lots of golf. Golf and poker — I absolutely love to play poker. So I guess those are two things people don’t know about me.”
What are your plans following graduation?
“I want to go play basketball overseas. My dad’s been looking into it, I’m just not allowed to talk to them until after the season. It’s always been a huge goal and dream of mine to play professional basketball. I mean, to get paid for doing something you love and getting to tour the world, are you kidding me? I’d go anywhere. Our team went over there to France last summer, and I loved it. It was so cool, and to go over there for a few years and get some money playing basketball would be awesome, so that’s my plan. If that falls through, I want to be a coach.
And where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“Coaching either high school or college basketball, wherever I get the connection. Inevitably, I would love to coach college basketball. It would be so much fun. In college there are not the huge salaries so it’s a business. In college everybody’s playing for each other.”
03-01-2007