Hightower star Griggs bypassing senior year, college to go pro
Hightower senior guard Bryce Griggs is going pro.
Overtime Elite announced Friday that Griggs, a 6-foot-2 point guard, signed with the professional league and will play in its inaugural season starting in September.
"Bryce Griggs is a player that has been recognized as one the nation's most promising playmaking guards and we are thrilled to welcome him to the OTE family," Brandon Williams, OTE's EVP and Head of Basketball Operations, said in a news release. "Bryce has had one of the best coaches and mentors in John Lucas, and has been attracted to the combination of an NBA caliber coaching staff, sports science, performance and nutrition focuses that will play a crucial role in his development into an NBA player."
Griggs averaged 22.9 points, 4.2 assists, four rebounds and 1.7 steals in three seasons at Hightower. He is ranked No. 69 on ESPN's top 100 prospects for the Class of 2022.
Fort Bend ISD's athletics department has not confirmed Griggs' departure, but Hightower boys basketball coach Stephen Woods did release the following statement:
"I have not received any information about him (Griggs) leaving but I assumed he was. The Hurricanes will continue to work hard, get after it on defense, play the game together, and play the right way. As a program we went 47-4 last year and won district on every level. As a coaching staff, we plan to continue working with the young talent we have and building from there. Bryce Griggs is a very talented player and we wish him nothing but the best. Once a Cane, always a Cane!"
With Overtime Elie, Griggs will be coached by former NBA player and former University of Connecticut head basketball coach Kevin Ollie.
"Bryce has elite talent which you can see when he has the ball in hands, but we're also going to turn him into an elite leader on and off the floor," Ollie said in a news release. "That's the promise I'm making to him."
In its news release, Overtime Elite noted: "Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs."
In a Tweet, former NBA player and ESPN commentator Kendrick Perkins said Griggs would be passing up 1.2 million dollars by not signing with Overtime Elite.