Griffin's Honors 

After taking a redshirt with a foot injury in 2008-09, two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick Kelsey Griffin is a leading contender for All-America honors on and off the court while powering Nebraska to its best start and highest national rankings in school history.

The 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, who has earned spots on the Wade Trophy Watch List, the Naismith Trophy Watch List and the Wooden Award Midseason Top 20, is also one of 10 finalists for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

The No. 1 active career rebounder and No. 3 returning career scorer in the Big 12, Griffin ranks ninth at Nebraska with 1,734 points, fourth in rebounds with 863 and ninth in blocks with 76. She owns 30 career double-doubles, which ranks as the second-highest double-double total in school history. 10 of her double-doubles have come this season for NU, including five straight to open Big 12 play.

Griffin is on pace to become one of the top five scorers and rebounders in NU history, despite battling injury and illness throughout her career. She is just the third player in Nebraska history with 1,700 points and 800 rebounds in her career, joining 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings and All-American and two-time WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge.

Through 20 games as a senior, Griffin has carried Nebraska to the best start in school history (20-0) by averaging 19.3 points and a Big 12-leading 9.9 rebounds per game. She also leads the Huskers with 1.8 steals per contest and has drawn a team-leading 16 charges. She has also contributed eight blocked shots on the year, while dishing out 40 total assists. Griffin had a career-high five assists and drew a career-best four charges while adding a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in Nebraska's first-ever true road win over a top-10 team in school history in the Huskers' 65-56 win at No. 9 Baylor on Jan. 17. Griffin followed with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five more assists in Nebraska's 71-56 win over Kansas State.

Days later, Griffin led Nebraska to its first-ever road win at traditional national power Texas Tech, pouring in 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes, as Nebraska rolled to a 42-point win over the Lady Raiders in Lubbock. She added 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field in a 16-point win at Colorado to become the first-ever Husker to go a perfect 4-0 in her career in Boulder.

The last time she took the floor, Griffin scored 19 points in just 19 minutes, helping Nebraska build a 36-point lead over No. 10 Oklahoma State before cruising to an 88-67 win over the Cowgirls. It was Nebraska's third win this season against a top-10 team, matching the school's total from the first 35 seasons of varsity women's basketball combined.

Griffin's numbers have come despite averaging just 26.2 minutes per game for the Huskers, as Nebraska has rolled to 17 double-digit wins in the first 20 games. Taken over 40 minutes, Griffin is averaging 29.5 points, 15.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game. She also ranks among the top 10 players nationally in field goal percentage (.614) despite facing constant double- and triple-teams.

She has produced seven of the best individual performances of her career, including a 31-point, 11-rebound effort in Nebraska's win over in-state rival Creighton on Dec. 9. Against the Bluejays, who were the preseason pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference title, Griffin matched her career high with 31 points, while setting a career-best with 12 made field goals on just 16 attempts. She also had two assists, two steals and a block in a career-high 34 minutes.

Eleven days later, Griffin poured in 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds to go along with an assist, a steal and a blocked shot in the Huskers' 77-63 run past No. 5 LSU. The win was NU's third in history over a top-five team. For her efforts against the Tigers, Griffin was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career.

In her next game, Griffin approached perfection by pumping in 27 points in just 22 minutes in a 47-point over Albany on Dec. 30. Griffin hit all nine of her shots from the field and hit 7-of-7 free throws in what is thought to be the best shooting performance by a women's basketball player in the 35-year history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Griffin added seven rebounds and three steals against the Great Danes. The performance earned Griffin Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors for the second time in three weeks and the fifth time in her career.

The next time out, Griffin scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field with a 5-for-5 effort at the free throw line while ripping down a career-high 16 rebounds in Nebraska's 94-50 win over then-RPI No. 14 Vermont. Griffin led Nebraska to the most points all season against the defending America East champion Catamounts and the largest scoring margin against UVM, surpassing the 84-42 win by No. 1 UConn over Vermont in Storrs, Conn.

After putting up a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in NU's low-scoring win at Iowa State on Jan. 9, Griffin poured in 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Huskers' 91-79 run past No. 19 Texas on Jan. 12.

Griffin, who has scored 25 or more points on seven occasions this season, produced back-to-back big nights in California to earn MVP honors at the Saint Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28. In a win over preseason Sun Belt conference favorite UALR, Griffin poured in 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, while adding three steals.

The next night, Griffin pumped in 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field, while pulling down 13 boards and setting a career high with four steals in the win over the hosts from Saint Mary's. Her strong effort inside came against the nation's leading shot-blocker - Louella Tomlinson - from Saint Mary's, who is on track to set the NCAA career mark as a junior. Griffin's 28 points came in just 27 minutes against the Gaels, as Nebraska cruised to a double-digit win.

A tenacious rebounder, Griffin owns 12 double-figure rebound totals this season and 34 in her career. She has also scored 20 or more points 27 times in her career, including 13 games with 25 or more points. She owns 90 double-figure scoring efforts in her career.

After a sensational start as a freshman, Griffin battled illness down the stretch, limiting her playing time during the last half of the 2006 Big 12 season.

In 2006-07, she was challenged by a breathing condition with effects similar to asthma. In 2007-08, Griffin played the entire year with a protective vest after cracking a rib in NU's final exhibition game.

Not even the rib injury and breathing condition could stop Griffin from producing her best Big 12 campaign by averaging 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. They also couldn't stop her from carrying the Huskers to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1998.

Griffin erupted for 26 points going head-to-head with Xavier's post duo of 6-6 Ta'Shia Phillips and 6-5 Amber Harris to guide NU to a win over the Musketeers in College Park, Md.

"Kelsey is one of the toughest, hard-nosed competitors I have ever coached," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "She is a warrior for us on the court and you get her best every night. Not only that, but she is a solid student and an outstanding person."

Redshirt (2008-09)
Griffin took a redshirt season after suffering a foot injury in August. The injury required surgery in December and a second surgery in June of 2009. She did not return to playing full-court basketball until September of 2009.

Junior (2007-08)
Griffin led the Huskers with 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and ranked among the Big 12's top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage as a junior. She led NU to the third NCAA Tournament win in school history with 26 points in a 61-58 victory over Xavier on March 23.

Her effort against the Musketeers followed 21 points and 10 boards against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

Griffin scored 20 or more points seven times in 2007-08, including three games with 26 points. She had seven double-doubles, including five in regular-season Big 12 play and a sixth in the conference tournament.

Despite being limited all season by a cracked rib suffered in NU's exhibition finale on Nov. 5, Griffin showed her toughness by taking a team-best 20 charges, including four in the NCAA Tournament.

After missing four games and sitting out three weeks with the injury to close non-conference play, Griffin averaged 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in Big 12 action. She improved each week, averaging 19 points and 8.7 rebounds over NU's final 10 regular-season games.

Griffin's Big 12 numbers came in just 27 minutes per game. She scored 269 points in just 433 minutes of league action, an average of 0.62 points per minute. She pulled down 131 rebounds for 0.30 boards per minute. Her per-minute scoring surpassed 2007 National Player of the Year Courtney Paris from Oklahoma, who averaged 0.58 points per minute in Big 12 play. Griffin's rebounds per minute trailed only Paris among league players.

In three postseason games, Griffin averaged 18 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest.

Griffin ranked among the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring, rebounding, field goal and free throw percentage in league play. She produced season highs with 26 points in wins over Xavier (March 23), Missouri (Feb. 21) and Colorado (Feb. 6), and pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds at Texas Tech (Feb. 24).

Her 26 points against Xavier tied for the second-best individual total by a Husker in NCAA Tournament history.

Sophomore (2006-07)
Griffin was the fourth Husker sophomore in history to capture first-team all-conference honors, joining Kiera Hardy, Karen Jennings and Maurtice Ivy.

Griffin joined Hardy in becoming the first Husker duo to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors in the same season. Griffin ranked among the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, averaging 15.0 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 54.6 percent from the field.

She had 10 double-doubles and six 20-plus scoring efforts, including four in Big 12 play. She scored in double figures 28 times and grabbed double-figure rebounds 12 times. She led NU on the glass on 20 occasions.

Griffin ranked seventh in the Big 12 in scoring (15.0 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.6 percent), while her 10 double-doubles were seventh-best in the league in 2006-07.

She stepped into the national spotlight with 23 points and 13 rebounds in Nebraska's 76-67 win over No. 13 Baylor in a Fox Sports Net national telecast at the Devaney Center on Feb. 3. She earned the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week award on Feb. 5, her second honor of the season after capturing the award on Jan. 8.

Griffin scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 10 boards in a win over Kansas on Jan. 27. She had 22 points and eight rebounds against All-American Courtney Paris and No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 6. She pumped in 21 points with seven rebounds going head-to-head with Texas All-American Tiffany Jackson. Griffin helped the Huskers to their first-ever win in Austin on Jan. 3.

She posted her first double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 boards in a win over No. 18 New Mexico in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 13. She added a double with 13 points and 12 boards against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17. Griffin posted her third straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a win at UC Irvine on Nov. 24.

She added a double-double with 13 points, 11 boards and three assists in NU's 60-57 win at Creighton on Dec. 19. Griffin produced back-to-back double-doubles to lead NU to a State Farm Classic title at Florida. In the opener against NCAA Sweet 16 qualifier NC State, Griffin erupted for 18 points and 10 boards in a 94-74 Nebraska victory, before adding 15 points and 13 rebounds in an 81-73 win over Florida on its homecourt.

Griffin added Big 12 road doubles at Kansas (18 points, 13 rebounds) and No. 21 Texas A&M (16 points, 10 rebounds). She had 17 points and seven rebounds in NU's Big 12 Tournament second-round overtime loss to Iowa State on March 7, before settling for 11 points and six rebounds against Temple in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18.

Freshman (2005-06)
Griffin produced one of the best freshman seasons in Nebraska history, capturing Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors from the Dallas Morning News.

A member of the five-player Big 12 All-Rookie team chosen by the league coaches, Griffin was the fifth NU freshman in history to score 400 points. She closed her rookie campaign with 19 points and seven rebounds against Kansas State in the WNIT quarterfinals to finish fourth on NU's freshman scoring list with 424 points.

Griffin finished the year with 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, despite battling illness for the final nine games of the season. Her scoring and rebounding averages ranked among the top 10 on NU's freshman lists. She also remained in the starting lineup for all 32 games, becoming just the fourth freshman in Husker history, and the first since Meggan Yedsena in 1990-91, to start every game of her rookie campaign.

The first player from Alaska in Husker women's basketball history, Griffin set the NU freshman record with 121 made free throws, while her 174 attempts ranked second among Husker freshmen. Her 54.1 percent field goal shooting ranked third by an NU freshman.

Griffin achieved the 100-point scoring mark faster than any player in NU history, reaching the mark in the first minute of her seventh game. Her race to 100 was accelerated by 31 points and 14 rebounds against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in her fourth career game.

Griffin's performance against the Islanders came on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and a 13-of-18 effort at the free throw line. Her 18 attempts tied the overall school record for free throw attempts in a single game. Her performance also earned her a spot on the Miami Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament team.

She added a top-five freshman performance at NU with 28 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a career-high three blocked shots at Kansas State on Feb. 4. That effort helped her earn the second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award of her career on Feb. 6.

She had her second double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Missouri on Jan. 11, after earning her first Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honor.

Griffin produced four games with 20 or more points, including a 22-point effort at Northwestern on Dec. 10, and 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field against No. 24 Texas A&M on Feb. 11.

She scored in double figures 21 times, while adding three double-figure rebound efforts and three double-doubles (TAMUCC, Missouri (Jan. 11), at K-State (Feb. 4).

High School
Griffin was the Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year as a senior in 2004-05. She earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors and was a three-time All-Cook Inlet Conference pick for Coach Tracy Adams at Chugiak High School. Griffin was the most dominant all-around player in the state, averaging 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 4.3 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game.

Her hard work at both ends of the court helped the Mustangs earn a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament her senior season. Griffin missed nearly all of her junior season with a knee injury, but returned at the end of the season to lead Chugiak back to the state tournament. Chugiak eventually lost to Juneau and finished fourth.

As a sophomore, Griffin helped Chugiak to the Class 4A state title. In the championship game win over Wasilla, Griffin had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

In addition to her success on the basketball court, Griffin also competed in volleyball for the Mustangs. She was also a standout in the classroom as an honor roll member throughout high school.

Personal
The daughter of Jim Griffin and Jan Griffin, Kelsey was born July 2, 1987. She has one brother, Geoff Ferguson, 29, and a sister, Jayme Griffin, 19.

Kelsey is a biological sciences major with a 3.5 GPA. She is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 pick. She is a nine-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

She was also a member of the 2006-07 Big 12 Winter Good Works Team for her outstanding contributions to community service. As a sophomore in 2006-07, she was a member of Nebraska's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, one of the top student leadership groups on the Nebraska campus.

She chose Nebraska over Michigan State and Arizona State.

Griffin's Career Statistics