It seemed like a foregone conclusion when Seagraves (Texas) High School standout Darrice Griffin announced last fall that should be attending Texas Tech. After all, her mother, Tami Wilson, who's also her high school hoops coach, played for Red Raiders Head Coach Marsha Sharp in the early 1990s.

"This is something that I've always wanted to do," Griffin told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Nov. 2002. "I've been recruited by other schools and that's been such a blessing for me, but I just can't see myself playing anywhere else but Texas Tech. No one has really influenced me. It's just something I've always felt in my heart."

Her mother, not surprisingly, shared her daughter's enthusiasm for the Red Raiders. "Tech is just like a home away from home," Wilson told the Avalanche-Journal last year. "To have your own child play at the same school you played at is every parent's dream. I'm so excited about the opportunities she will have, and I know that she will be taken care of over there. That's what you look for nowadays."

Griffin, who's ranked No. 21 by the AllStar Girls Report and No. 26 by BlueStar, signed her official Letter of Intent earlier this week. "This is a year of first for us," said Sharp. "We signed our first second-generation player today." Griffin will be joining recruiting class that includes previous Gball High School Hero Erin Myrick.

A 6-1 forward, Griffin is the top-ranked player in Texas, according to the Southwest Girls Report. Last season, she averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and four assists, while leading Seagraves to the regional quarterfinals. She was named first team all-state and first team all-region, the Most Valuable Player of District 3-2A, All-South Plains MVP, and Parade Magazine fourth-team all-American. This summer, Griffin was selected to participate in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs.

"Darrice is such a terrific player and person," Sharp stated. "We are so excited about having her in our program, first because of herself and second because Tami (Wilson) has been such a big part of this program for a long time. I think Darrice has a chance to have an immediate impact in our program. She is rank the No. 1 player in the state of Texas and I think deservingly so. She has a lot of tools and a lot of potential to really explode in the college level. I think she can play several different positions for us."

Griffin knows the score off the court, too--she's ranked in the top five percent of her class and is president of her senior class. In the spring, she participates in the high jump for the Seagraves track and field team.

Article written by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.

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