Yolanda Griffith is the last person in the world who will bring up her name as a candidate for MVP. As she insisted when she spoke to the Sacbee, "Everybody's happy because we're winning. Well, if we stop winning, then I won't be getting all this attention." But with YoYo as the starting and starring center for the Monarchs, the team just hasn't stopped winning.
A candidate for MVP in the ABL, Griffith felt she put up the numbers, leading her team to the championship, but she lost out to Natalie Williams who put up slightly better numbers though her team lost.
Maybe that's why Yo is tired and distrusting of the hype surrounding the MVP race. After all, it was just this season that she watched Natalie Williams, her former archrival, have the All-Star MVP trophy snatched away by Lisa Leslie though Williams put up the bigger numbers. Williams was on the other end this time, and she let it be known that she wasn't the only person who thought her status as an ex-ABL player was part of the reason Leslie walked away with the trophy.
Maybe that's why Yo is content to watch the Houston Comets duo of Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes share the limelight while she makes a run at the award from the sidelines... literally. Just days before the regular season ended, Yo went down. And she won't be back up soon. Just named to the National Team, Griffith knows she can't rush her rehabilitation, and therefore, it'll be a miracle if she's back for the playoffs.
But Yo has other things on her mind. She's also a mother, and that's always come first. Her 10 year old daughter, Candace, accompanies Griffith everywhere and the two are closer than most. Griffith even withdrew from the US National team because she couldn't take being away from Candace. But now Griffith has her daughter with her as she travels through the WNBA, and she'll be playing on the Olympic Team in Sydney come 2000.
Her assault on WNBA league leaders this season has earned her that, not to mention her dominating D in the post, her athleticism in the paint, and the way she gets up the court on a break. Even her rivals are quick to recognize Yo. Sting point guard Dawn Staley who's had her share of razzle dazzle in this, her first season gave Yo her vote after naming the other candidates as Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Cynthia Cooper. But out of all, Dawn said, "I haven't seen enough of the players on the West Coast, but in playing against them I'd give a nod to Yolanda Griffith, who's had a tremendous year." And what about All-Star guard Tonya Edwards? In July, Edwards remarked, "Probably my vote is for Yolanda Griffith right now. I don't know how many double-doubles she's had this year, not to mention that her team is in second place this year. Last year they were in last, so she has to get some of the credit for that."
Not many WNBA fans knew Yo when she stepped out on the court for the first time this season. But she can take satisfaction now because they will now, and the rest of the world will take notice soon. And if she did when that coveted award? Yo told the Sacbee, "I think ... I think my heart would fall out." But for now? Well Griff will be rooting her teammates on, the team she led into the playoffs. And they will face a tough battle without her. Maybe then everyone will realize, just how valuable this Monarch is.
Yo's Attack on WNBA Stats
Points a Game: 18.8 (2nd)
Rebounds a Game: 11.3 (1st)
Field Goal Percentage: 54.1% (2nd)
Steals a Game:2.52 (1st)
Blocks a Game: 1.86 (3rd)
Double-Doubles: 17 (1st)
