Joel Huerto is managing editor of One Man Fastbreak.net and a sports consultant with Opposing Views.com. He has been a member of the sports media for almost 20 years, which included nine years as a news editor at the Los Angeles Times. He will cover a variety of topics, from coach and player profiles to hot-button issues. Joel is also known as "maniLA ice" for his cool demeanor in the friendly confines of the YMCA hardwood. He loves to shoot the "tear drop" and prefers to play zone to hide his deficiencies on defense.
When he first arrived in Norman, Blake Griffin called Wayman Tisdale and asked permission if he could wear Tisdale's No. 23, which already hangs in the rafters at Lloyd Noble Center. Tisdale gave him a nod and said, "Just make me proud."
Griffin has more than lived up to that promise as the sophomore forward is posting beastly numbers this season and has single-handedly made the Oklahoma Sooners relevant again.
Tisdale was sitting courtside to watch Griffin and his sixth-ranked Sooners defeat USC, 73-72, Thursday night as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Tisdale told the national TV audience what Sooner Nation already knows.
"I saw potential in him last year, but this year he's just a monster. His game has grown from last year," said the Sooners' three-time All-American, who received a huge ovation in his first appearance at Lloyd Noble Center since having his right leg amputated because of bone cancer.
USC tried everything to slow down Griffin, even roughing him up a few times that resulted in a player ejection. Freshman Leonard Washington gave Griffin a shot to the groin with about 13 minutes in the second half, a not-so-subtle jab that got him tossed from the game.
The low blow may have knocked Griffin down, but it did not stop him from scoring 25 points. The 6-10, 250-pound Griffin grabbed only six rebounds, which is nine below his season average of 15, because the Trojans employed a multi-player block-out scheme to keep the nation's leading rebounder from controlling the boards.
What Griffin is doing now, Tisdale did it for three seasons at Oklahoma. Tisdale still holds school records in career points (2,661), rebounds (1,048), field-goal percentage (.578), free-throws made (507) and free-throws attempted (767).
After a 12-year NBA career, Tisdale pursued his love of music and has become a full-time jazz musician.
Country music star Toby Keith, a big-time Sooner supporter, collaborated with Tisdale on his current song, "Never, never gonna give you up," a remake of Barry White's classic hit. More than anything, the song symbolizes Tisdale's story of overcoming cancer. On the other hand, the story of Blake Griffin has yet to be written.
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