Griffin Named AP Player Of The Year

OU Media Office

DETROIT, MI -- Blake Griffin may need an extra suitcase when he travels back to Oklahoma from Detroit next week.  The sophomore forward's monopoly on national player of the year awards continued Friday morning with the Associated Press' announcement that he was the runaway winner of the organization's honor.

Griffin assembled one of the most productive seasons in Oklahoma history in leading the Sooners to a 30-6 record and a final No. 7 AP ranking.  The 6-10, 251-pound Oklahoma City native averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting .654 from the field.  His rebounds per game set OU and Big 12 Conference records, and represented the highest average by a Division I player since Tim Duncan's 14.7 for Wake Forest in 1996-97.

Griffin's field goal percentage also set Oklahoma and Big 12 marks, as did his 30 double-doubles on the year.

Griffin received 66 AP votes from the 71-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, who won the award last year, received two votes, as did DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh.

Kansas' Bill Self was named AP Coach of the Year.

Earlier on Friday Griffin picked up the Oscar Robertson Trophy at the Detroit Athletic Club for being named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's national player of the year.  The trophy was presented by Robertson himself.  On Thursday, Griffin was presented with the Adolph Rupp Trophy by the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky as the organization's player of the year.