Baltimore Sun Names Basketball Phenom Josh Selby, Lacrosse Star Brooke Griffin "Players of the Year"

     Recently, I attended The Sun's "Athlete of the Year" luncheon, which featured a keynote address from former Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover. Stover, who now plays for a team which shall not be named, spoke about the importance of an athlete putting his values and morals ahead of personal gain, and of the benefits of a good work ethic and dedication and loyalty to one's teammates. The luncheon honored and recognized athletes from local high schools-- public, private, independent, and parochial-- who showed outstanding physical ability and talent and displayed leadership skills, dedication, and good work ethic on the field, the ice, the track, or the trail. Many of the athletes excelled at more than one sport, and many led their teams and schools to championships in the 2009-2010 school year. In the end, however, only two athletes were selected as the Athletes of the Year.
     The female winner was Brooke Griffin of South River High School, who led both her field hockey and lacrosse teams and brought South River its first ever girls' lacrosse title. Griffin, who will play at the University of Maryland next year, scored a staggering twenty-nine goals and recorded sixteen assists in just five playoff games, leading South River to the 4A/3A title in late May. Griffin was also named Player of the Year in Field Hockey. Griffin took charge of both teams and commanded respect and attention on the field, not only from teammates, coaches, and fans, but also from opponents, who ultimately proved unable to stop her.
     The male recipient of the award was Josh Selby, a Top-5 basketball recruit who finished his career at Lake Clifton, after transferring from DeMatha. The 6'3'', 183 lb. point guard, who has been the subject of New York Times and ESPN.com articles, will attend Kansas University next year, taking the court for coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Selby kept reporters and basketball fans on the ropes for months while he juggled offers from several Division I schools, eventually de-committing from Bruce Pearl's Tennessee squad and choosing Kansas instead.
     I was lucky to interview the two winners, and both shed light on their plans for the upcoming years and for their college careers. While Griffin expressed her excitement to join the National Champion Lady Terrapins and to contribute to the team's development in the long run, Selby hopes that his college career will be short-lived, and in the interview expresses his hope that he might be "one-and-done," entering the NBA draft upon completion of his freshman year at Kansas. Most players, while they entertain dreams of entering the draft early, do not verbalize these thoughts. For Selby, however, it is likely that these dreams will become reality, barring any injuries or circumstances under which he may be deemed ineligible to enter the 2011 draft.

To hear more of what Josh and Brooke had to say, watch the interviews below. Josh's interview is embedded and Brooke's interview can be viewed here.



** On June 8, 2010, ESPN.com reported that Selby broke his left hand, and is expected to be sidelined at Kansas for four to six weeks of the 2010-2011 season.