A Coach’s Calling

By: Katarina Rendon and Karina Varela

Coach Griffin, a well-mannered and remarkable teacher who is a mentor to a handful of students. To the public eye, he comes off as tall and intimidating, but in truth, he is affable and comedic. Truly enthusiastic about enlightening students in the world of history and moreover open to speaking about his personal interests. Upon speaking to him, one would uncover that he harbors a great amount of insight. Despite his young age, Mr. Griffin speaks with integrity and confidence, along with a sense of expertise in life. On December 5, 2019, Elle Rendon, took a trip into the sixth-grade hallway to speak with our very own Coach Griffin. Entering the conversation, she was expecting to talk about basketball and topics concerning the sport, but to her surprise, the interview derailed into a discussion about the deeper meaning in everyday situations.

It is not uncommon for basketball to be a prominent sport throughout middle school and high school for adolescents. But who inspires these young athletes? For Coach Griffin, it was his dad, and former Spurs player, Paul Griffin. “He inspired me by just understanding that with hard work and dedication you can be really good at something that you set your heart out to believe in,” says Mr. Griffin when asked how his father implemented basketball in his life. Paul first sparked his interest at a young age, so when Coach Griffin was offered the opportunity he jumped at it. Paul rubbed off his expertise in basketball on Mr. Griffin. This is when his career took off, in middle school. Knowing that he was good at the sport, Coach Griffin realized his potential which would end up to be the key to unlocking a prosperous new chapter in his basketball career.