All-time leading scorer, single-game program record for made threes and all-time wins leader. These are three things senior guards Brian Griffith and Parker Gray and Head Coach Tim Riley have claimed this season, but Owensboro Catholic has more on sustained success as the season comes to a close on the forefront of their minds.
The Aces have had a season covered in history as they sit at 22-3, with Griffith and Gray and Riley having their hands all over it. Griffith becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer was the first domino to fall, passing the late James ‘Putney’ McNary and his 1,937 career points for the Aces.
That came in a big moment for Owensboro Catholic on the season as well, with Griffith’s 21 points helping lead them to an 80-78 road win over Owensboro that extended the Aces winning streak to seven games. The senior guard found out he broke the scoring record following the game and while he was happy to hear the news, what mattered to him more was getting the win for his team—a mindset he continues to carry with them late in the regular season.
“It’s really not that big of a deal to me,” Griffith said. “Everyone congratulates me on it and stuff, but really I just think it’s another achievement I’ve done in my life. It’s not the main goal for sure. I want to get to Rupp Arena and go deep in the postseason. I think we’ve got a good enough team to do that.”
Breaking the scoring record is not something Griffith had ever really thought about prior to, but it’s something that has come with a lot of hard work. Having worked through a grueling recovery process after tearing his ACL prior to the pandemic, Brian said it’s proving others wrong that helped motivate him to get back to where he is in his game today.
“I heard a lot of people talking about how this injury was going to be a big thing in my life and that usually people don’t overcome the injury,” Griffith said. “So just really proving all the haters wrong and getting back to playing how I’m playing [has been nice]. And it really just happened over the last couple weeks. I’ve really gotten back to myself and I feel normal and faithful in my knee now.”
Griffith has been the driving force behind the Aces success this year, leading the team with 21.0 points per game with a 45.5% clip from the field and 39.2% mark from deep. But it’s Brian’s ability to see the floor that Head Coach Tim Riley thinks has helped elevate his game, noting that with more experience he understands the game better than he ever has.
“The whole time he’s been here it’s been me trying to go like ‘if you’ll throw it out there and those guys can make shots, then it opens everything up for you,’” Riley said. “He’s finally bought into that more than he ever has. He’s shared the ball better this year since he’s been there and it’s one of the reasons why we’re really good… They expect him to pass the ball, so it’s changed the dynamics of our team.”
But Riley will tell you himself, Owensboro Catholic’s success starts with Griffith and his fellow senior backcourt counterpart in Parker Gray. That has shown throughout the season with Gray’s 13.2 points per game as the team’s second-leading scorer, but more recently when he set the single-game record in Aces history with nine made threes—finishing the night with 29 points in a 72-40 district win over Daviess County.
“Parker’s been a scorer since the first day I saw him,” Riley said. “He played at Holy Name and I saw him play in the eighth grade and he’s just a guy that can score the basketball. He got real comfortable and felt good… He really was focused into the game. I think that’s what he was Friday night and when he does that, he can be really good.”
Gray said that after grabbing just four points in the first game against the Panthers that the Aces won 54-46, he came into the game looking to get going early against a district foe.
“I made my first shot and I was feeling good,” Gray said. “Last game I played horrible against Daviess County, so I was out for it and I just wanted to win. Especially against DC.”
Parker has also had multiple 20-point and 30-point games this season, making him a formidable offensive threat alongside Griffith. Gray also said that without Riley’s system as well as his teammates screening and ability to create looks by attacking the paint, he wouldn’t be able to have as much success from the field.
As Owensboro Catholic continues its chase for a long postseason run, Gray said that their team chemistry and preparation is what will help them continue their winning ways.
“Just playing for each other,” Gray said. “Being there for your teammates. That means a lot to us. And we have to make sure that we’re in good shape so we can perform and we’re doing smart stuff on and off the court so we can be ready.”
Riley shared the notion as well, saying that the group is pretty tight—with the prime example being players left in the gym 20-30 minutes after practice during the interview for this very article.
“You look at these guys still hanging around and that tells you that they’re having fun,” Riley said. “If our team wasn’t having fun, they’d all be out of here as soon as they get done.”
This like many others has been a key factor in the Aces ability to remain in the winners column time and time again this season, as well as Riley making history alongside Gray in the Daviess County game with his 163rd victory at the helm of Owensboro Catholic.
Tim also currently sits as the all-time wins leader at Warren Central with 307, making this accomplishment with the Aces another moment in his career that Riley says he’s blessed to have because of the people that have helped him along the way.
“Sometimes I’m just kind of shocked at what all has happened in my coaching career and what all has been accomplished…” Riley said. “We’ve had good players since I’ve been here. This has not been Tim Riley coming in and coaching guys that couldn’t play basketball. We’ve had a bunch of good basketball players. I texted all of them Saturday night. I texted them all and thanked them for what they’ve done and how they’ve helped me. The milestone is shared with a lot of people, but mostly the guys that played here because they’ve been the ones sweating and making baskets and doing stuff.”
Riley said that something he’s hung his hat on to help him grab the barrage of wins he has under his coaching belt has been skill development, noting once again that it’s the players that ultimately helps the team be successful.
“At the end of the day, a guy that can make a play is more important than any play I can run,” Riley said. “Having Griff on the team, he can go make plays. He doesn’t need a play… Parker’s got some of that, Tutt’s got some of that and Luke Beickman’s got some of that. And that’s what’s going to help us win more than anything else.”
This also leads to an exponential amount of floor spacing, something Owensboro Catholic has because of a group that Riley says has the best ball-handling capabilities that he’s had as a coach. In turn, it’s helped the Aces
“We shoot it real well,” Riley said. “We’re shooting 37% from three, so we make people have to guard us out on the floor. We have found a way to win with a zone, we’ve found a way to win with a man [defense] and we found a way to win when we pressed. I think a good team has to find multiple different ways defensively to win a game and we’ve won them all different ways. That to me has been a big key.”
The team’s leader of threes made in Griffith was thrilled to see the Owensboro Catholic’s skipper achieve yet another milestone in historic coaching career, saying that he’s always looking to help make each and every person reach their best on the floor.
“It’s a huge thing for him,” Griffith said. “He told me before the game that this was something he would do if we won the game, so I knew it really meant a lot to him. He’s a good coach. He knows what he’s talking about. He takes a lot of time out of his day [to focus on the team]. He’s in his office even when nobody thinks he is.”
Riley demands a lot out of his players, something Griffith knows first hand in his time with the Aces. However, Brian said it’s those very reasons that help Owensboro Catholic’s players grow and put the team at their best.
Parker Gray on the other hand put it simply —Tim Riley is a dog.
“He’s not going to let you not play hard,” Griffith said. “That’s one thing you’re going to do [under him]. He’s going to push you to your limits and past your limits. He knows what you can do and what you’re capable of doing, so he’s going to get you where you want to be.”
That mentality is what leads Riley to say that while he’s ecstatic with how the 2022-23 campaign has gone, he and his team will not be satisfied. Owensboro Catholic’s players have adopted that same will to win also, something that Riley has helped them maintain to balance between the current success and their future goals.
“I’ve probably been harder on this group than any group that I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Riley said. “Trying not to get satisfied, but at the same time telling them how much I appreciate what they’ve done so far. I will tell them ‘I appreciate what you’ve done, but we can’t be happy until this thing is all the way over with.’’
As the Aces set their sights on representing the 9th District in the 3rd Region Tournament, the first step is tackling Owensboro for the second time this season in the regular season district finale. The last time these two met Griffith had become the program’s all-time leading scorer, helping them grab a clutch overtime win against the Red Devils in the process.
Riley and company know that it will be just as difficult to try to come out on top even at home, but they believe that if they can take care of the ball and be strong on the glass that history that they can stay undefeated in district play.
“It’s hard to beat those guys,” Riley said. “It’s hard to beat that program. We just have to continue to get better. If you can’t handle their pressure you can’t beat them and you’ve gotta rebound because they’re going to rebound the ball. All of Rod’s teams are going to attack the glass and they’re going to try to force you into turnovers and mistakes.”
Sitting at 22-3 overall and 5-0 in district play, Owensboro Catholic will look to close out the regular season atop the 9th District when they take on Owensboro at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
