Katie Griggs Named Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
9/8/2009 4:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, OH - Katie Griggs has been named assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Toledo, 2008-09 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Tricia Cullop announced today. Griggs will work with all aspects of the program, including on-floor coaching, international recruiting and individual conditioning workouts. She also will serve as the Rockets' apparrel contact, oversee practice players, alumni relations contact and booster club liason.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be at Toledo because of the rich tradition of the women's basketball program," Griggs said. "There are several banners hanging from the rafters, and I'm excited to help work to bring that back to the University and community."
Griggs is a 2002 graduate of Xavier University with a degree in business management. A native of nearby Wauseon, OH, Griggs was recruited by Cullop, a Musketeers' assistant coach at the time, and played two seasons (1998-99, 1999-2000) with the Navy Blue, Gray and White. She appeared in 61 games, averaging 4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.3 minutes per game. Xavier advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons and finished with a combined 50-14 win-loss ledger. As a freshman, Griggs saw action in 31 contests and tallied 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.7 minutes, en route to earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team accolades. She scored in double figures on seven occasions in her first season, including three of her final four games. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Griggs knocked down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points in a career-high 37 minutes against top-ranked Connecticut. A season later, she appeared in 30 games and averaged 3.8 points, 2.5 caroms and 1.9 helpers in 21.8 minutes to help Xavier to its first-ever conference tourney championship.
"I had the privilege of coaching Katie at Xavier for her first two seasons," Cullop said. "She made an immediate impact because of her talent level, intelligence and work ethic. All those intangibles have carried over to today, and her winning mentality will be a tremendous help to our program going forward. I also love the fact she has local ties and is familiar with a lot of the schools from which we will be recruiting. She also possesses great post-season experience and was part of a very successful program. As a recruit, she had the opportunity to go to many Big Ten and BCS schools, yet she chose Xavier. We want players of that same caliber and mindset that can make an immediate impact in our program and help us hang championship banners once again."
Following her sophomore year, Griggs had major back surgery and was not able to return to the court as a player. She spent her final two seasons as a student assistant.
"The biggest learning point that impacted me as a student working in the basketball offices at Xavier was the amount of time and dedication it takes to prepare for practices, games, and meetings," Griggs said. "As a player, you don't always realize the effort that goes into building a great program. I was able to see that firsthand those two years, and gained a better understanding of what it takes to be successful."
Since graduating, Griggs has spent her time in the business world, working in sales for Adrian Steel Company and Buckhead Beef.
"Obviously, Tricia has been a great influence and a person I have looked up to," Griggs said. "She recruited me as an assistant at Xavier and coached me the two years I played. She has a positive attitude and a tireless work ethic, which are both attributes that lead to success on and off the court."
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT KATIE GRIGGS
"Katie was one of the smartest and most-coachable players I've ever had. She had a team-first mentality."
Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb and former Xavier Head Coach
