Top junior Rayvon Griffith of Taft commits to Cincinnati Bearcats
Ohio’s top basketball recruit for the Class of 2023, Taft High School junior Rayvon Griffith will be a Bearcat to the delight of a rabid fan base hungry for a return to the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-7 inch wing made the announcement for the University of Cincinnati Sunday evening at Taft and live on CBS Sports HQ. As soon as he made his commitment, many commented he would bring Cincinnati basketball back.
Griffith is listed as the top junior recruit in Ohio and the No. 10 player at his position nationwide by 247Sports.com. Afterward, he mentioned he had made his mind up about a week ago.
“Those UC fans were going crazy on my Twitter,” Griffith said wearing his future school’s hat with a broad grin. “They’re just the best fans. They showed me a lot of love and I appreciate it.”
He becomes the highest-rated Greater Cincinnati recruit for the Bearcats since Yancy Gates came out of Withrow in 2008. He’s the first four-star UC recruit since Zach Harvey was signed by former Bearcat coach John Brannen and his current ranking is slightly ahead of where Wilmington’s Jarron Cumberland was in 2016.
Cincinnati has had two five-star recruits, both under current UCLA coach Mick Cronin in Lance Stephenson (2009) and Jermaine Lawrence (2013).
Wes Miller’s pitch was easy.
“He said stay here, you’re going to be the guy,” Griffith said. “He told me, ‘You’re my type of guy! I told him when he first called me, little things matter (like) consistency and brotherhood and he definitely showed every single one of them.”
Griffith is now the first 2023 commitment for Bearcat coach Miller. With Griffith playing with many elite players, that could change quickly.
“I’ve definitely got dudes on the phone,” Griffith said.
The lanky lad just led the Taft Senators to the Ohio Division III state championship last month in Dayton in what Griffith coined “The Revenge Tour”. The trophy had eluded the Senators his sophomore season when they lost on a buzzer shot in the state semifinals.
Taft coach Demarco Bradley knows UC’s Miller from North Carolina and also former Bearcat Damon Flint from his Woodward High days. He plans on having Flint speak to Griffith about the pressures of playing for the hometown team.
“I think Ray can really start a trend here,” Bradley said. “Him and Tyler McKinley (Walnut Hills sophomore forward) are good friends. He and Kieran Granville-Britten (Taft freshman center) are pretty good friends. Those are some of the top two ballplayers in the city. I think Ray can kind of recruit to bring those guys on over.”
Griffith was named Ohio Division III Southwest District Player of the Year this past season and made All-Ohio first team for the second straight season. He averaged 19.6 points per game and 5.9 rebounds for the state champs as a junior. In his sophomore year, he averaged 23.5 points and 9.1 rebounds.
He has played this spring with the Midwest Basketball Club 3SSB team featuring Ohio Mr. Basketball Gabe Cupps of Centerville, an Indiana commit, and Reed Sheppard, a Kentucky commit. The team is coached by Brook Cupps who led Centerville to the 2021 Ohio Division I state championship and a state runner-up finish this past March.
“Ray has great energy and passion for the game and his teammates,” Cupp said. “I’m looking forward to watching him continue to grow and develop as a person and as a player.”
Griffith’s Final Five included the Bearcats and Buckeyes from Ohio in addition to Alabama, Kansas and UCLA. His mother, father and brothers held up the various hats with Griffith eventually nodding toward the black cap with the red C-Paw.
Griffith got on the radar of many colleges as a junior high player at Oyler Middle School. He had an opportunity to play with the North Coast Blue Chips with Bronny James, son of Lebron James, another notable Ohio recruit 20 years ago. His first offer as an eighth-grader came from Kent State.
He briefly switched schools after Oyler to Hughes before eventually settling on Taft, where he has started since he was a freshman. He credits his tenacity on the court to his upbringing.
“I grew up in a rough environment, I didn’t have much,” Griffith said. “Every time I step on the court I feel like I have something to prove.”
As for his favorite Bearcat?
“Me, me now!” the new UC commit said.
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