On Cindy Griffin’s desk inside Hagan Arena stands a binder with the words “Selfless and Relentless” in large font on the front.

For 25 years, Griffin ’91, MBA ’93, has used the ethos behind these words as core values and as a foundation for guiding the women’s basketball team.

“[It’s] really important for us to be relentless every day and selfless every day and to have those reminders of why we’re doing this, why we are playing basketball,” Griffin said.

Day one on the job

On Nov. 16, 2001, Griffin’s first official game as head coach finished with an 81-72 win against University of Southern California. However, success did not happen overnight.

As the youngest child of five, Griffin grew up in a sports-oriented environment. When the time came for her to choose a sport, her basketball skills made the decision.

“I was good at it,” Griffin said. “I picked it up pretty quickly. I love the team aspect of it. I loved the fact that I could learn from my siblings and see what they did right and what they did wrong.”

Coaching was not always the plan, however. Griffin graduated with an accounting degree, and then went on to earn her master’s in management. She originally wanted to work as an accountant, but following conversations with former women’s basketball head coach Jim Foster, and her cousin, John Griffin II, who was the former men’s basketball head coach from 1990-1995, Griffin turned to coaching.

“I took his advice and took a leap of faith, and then from there, I was trying out coaching: ‘Do I want to do this?’ And then fell in love with it,” Griffin said.

Lessons learned

Across 25 years, over 120 players have learned and grown at the hands of Griffin and her staff. Alongside her players, Griffin continues to evolve as a coach.

Griffin said one of the most memorable pieces of advice she received when she just started out as head coach was from Renie Shields ’82, senior associate athletics director for student experience. Griffin recalled Shields telling her, “Cindy, no matter what, you got to know who you are, and don’t try to be anything different.”

Griffin has learned over the years that regardless of what she has experienced in past seasons, “no year is like the next.”

“You have an idea, but you don’t have the full picture of how it’s going to be,” Griffin said.

However, to prepare for those curveballs, Griffin leans on the team’s promises of being “selfless and relentless” and following their core values.

“You have to prepare accordingly,” Griffin said. “We talk about the five ‘Ps’ a lot, which is ‘proper preparation prevents poor performance.’”

Being “selfless and relentless” does not stop once the players leave Hagan Arena, according to Susan Lavin ’02, general manager for the women’s team.

“It’s outside of basketball, inside of basketball …. If we are selfless and relentless in everything we do, we’re going to be a pretty successful team,” Lavin said.

“They’ll always know that St. Joe’s is home for them, and they can always come back and they will always be welcome. Once a Hawk, you’re always a Hawk.”

CINDY GRIFFIN ’91, MBA ’93 HEAD COACH OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Cindy Griffin is … 

“Authentic,” said Lavin.

“She is a driven leader,” Lavin said. “She is a driven coach …. She’s a realist. She’s not smoke and mirrors. She’s authentic.”

“Competitive,” said Katie Kuester ’12, Army West Point women’s basketball head coach.

“Cindy Griffin is an all-out competitor,” Kuester said. “She’s gonna fix it no matter what. She’s gonna put it on her shoulders, and she’s gonna lead ferociously through that.”

“Loyal” and “intense,” said Ashley Prim ’13, women’s assistant coach/recruiting coordinator.

“She’s been here for 25 years, graduated from here, lives, breathes everything about St. Joseph’s,” Prim said. “She’s intense in the fact that she knows what all our team and everybody’s capable of and holds them accountable.”

A legacy of coaching 

Griffin said she would love to see more women in head coach roles and hopes people know women are capable of having both high profile careers and families.

“I think women should be leading women,” Griffin said.

With her 25-year achievement, Griffin becomes one of five Division I women’s basketball coaches to coach at the same school for over 25 years and is the only one to complete the achievement at her alma mater.

Kuester called the experience of being on Griffin’s staff “really special.”

“It felt like we were doing something bigger than basketball in terms of our representation,” Kuester said.

While a lot has changed at St. Joe’s over the past 25 years, Griffin’s mission hasn’t. Rather, “it’s always been about the people.”

“They’ll always know that St. Joe’s is home for them, and they can always come back and they will always be welcome,” Griffin said. “Once a Hawk, you’re always a Hawk.”