How Aubrey Griffin has navigated her final season at UConn [Exclusive]

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It’s not easy to return from an injury, let alone two. Yet that was what UConn guard Aubrey Griffin was facing as the 2024-25 NCAA season began. Griffin missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a back injury and then suffered a torn ACL during the second half of last season.

The ACL injury caused Griffin’s 2024-25 debut to be delayed until January. When she took the court this season, it had been just about one year since she had last played for the Huskies. Griffin made her season debut on Jan. 19 against Seton Hall to a standing ovation, playing ten minutes and finishing with three points, four rebounds and two assists.

The past year may have included a lot of sitting and watching, unable to play, but during that time Griffin believes she learned more about who she was outside of being a basketball player.

“I feel like just me being out allowed me to grow my relationship with God,” Griffin told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “Just seeing basketball from a different perspective and knowing that I’m not just a basketball player. There are other things that I am contributing to like who I am as a person.”

Aubrey Griffin’s role for UConn

One of the ways in which Griffin was able to grow despite not being on the court for a year was as a leader. Coming into this season, Griffin was the longest-tenured player on the roster. She was granted two extra years of eligibility due to redshirting the 2021-22 season and also an extra year due to COVID-19.

With this being her sixth season at UConn, Aubrey Griffin has a perspective that few other players have. She’s equipped to help her younger teammates as they navigate their own college basketball journeys, some of whom have also dealt with devastating injuries.

“I feel like just being an example for them and doing whatever I can to help them out,” Griffin said. “If they have any questions or if they ever need a pep talk before a game, or if I notice they’re in their heads, just try to help them and talk to them.”

Griffin’s minutes and role have fluctuated this season amid UConn’s status as one of the top teams in the country. She missed the entire Big East Tournament due to knee soreness as she continued to rehab from the ACL injury.

She’s appeared in 14 games this season, including one start, at a little over 12 minutes per game. She averaged 4.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 60 percent shooting from the field and 83.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Her minutes this season were a career-low, but her biggest moment came during UConn’s Elite Eight win against USC to send the Huskies to the Final Four.

UConn was caught up in a big USC run that saw their 19-point lead sliced all the way down to five points. Looking at his bench for answers, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma opted to go with Griffin. She had not played during UConn’s Sweet 16 win against Oklahoma, but here she was coming in during the team’s biggest game of the season.

Griffin may not have scored a single point, but her energy and tenacity was felt. She helped give the Huskies a much-needed spark as they regained control of the game. For her, it’s all about just staying ready and paying attention for when her number is called.

“It’s just watching from the sidelines and paying attention to the details of the game so that when I get in, I’m not lacking in any area. Just being mindful of that,” Griffin said. “Just being ready whenever my name is called and doing whatever my team needs me to do. Just continuing to do the things that I do when I get in.”

Griffin will be out of college basketball eligibility whenever UConn’s season ends. UConn will square off against UCLA on Friday in the Final Four with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

However the season ends for the Huskies, Griffin feels like she’s already prepared for whatever’s next, especially because of what she’s been able to learn from Auriemma.

“Yeah, definitely. Everything he teaches us here is like life lessons,” Griffin said. “It’s definitely something I will carry with me beyond basketball.”

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