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Jim Boeheim chats with SU recruit Allen Griffin of Robeson High School after a game between Robeson and Carver High School in the Stop DWI Holiday Classic tournament on Dec. 27, 1996.

(Peter Chen | The Post-Standard)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- When Allen Griffin flew into Syracuse to meet with Jim Boeheim on Wednesday, it wasn't really a job interview.

It was more like a visit.

Boeheim and Griffin left the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center and headed to the Brooklyn Pickle.

"We grabbed a sandwich and talked,'' Griffin said. "He sorta picked my brain.''

How did Boeheim and Griffin keep their outing to the local sandwich shop quiet? "We went at the right time,'' Griffin said with a laugh.

Over their lunch, Boeheim talked about how the Orange needed to play better defensively than it did last year. He talked about individual centers, especially the centers that Griffin would oversee. He then offered Griffin a job as an assistant coach at Syracuse. Griffin agreed, filling the vacancy created by Mike Hopkins' departure for the University of Washington.

For Griffin, a former Syracuse player, the chance to join Boeheim's coaching staff was a dream come true.

"Coming from Brooklyn and following Pearl Washington, I always wanted to play for Syracuse,'' Griffin said in a telephone conversation Thursday. "After playing there, I always wanted to coach there and work with Coach Boeheim.''

Later Wednesday night, Griffin met up with two old friends for dinner. Ryan Blackwell, who played with Griffin at Syracuse and is now the coach at Liverpool High School, and SU assistant Adrian Autry, who Griffin calls his best friend in the coaching business, had dinner at Prime in Hanover Square. Syracuse's other assistant coach Gerry McNamara was supposed to come, too, but stayed home because he wasn't feeling well.

The three celebrated Griffin's return to the Syracuse family.

"It's always fun getting together with those guys,'' Griffin said. "Ryan's the best. He's a really good coach now. And Adrian's my best friend in the business. We're always talking to each other and talking about games and players and offensive strategies and stuff. It was just a good time.''

In Griffin, Boeheim has hired a grinder. A guy who has had to fight for a starting job as a player and every job as an assistant coach.

Griffin played for Boeheim from 1997 to 2001. He started as a sophomore, but as a junior, Griffin found himself on the bench. Griffin responded with quiet dignity and resolve, never complaining about his reduced role.

As a senior, Griffin returned to the starting lineup. As the point guard and captain, he led an unheralded team to 25 wins and into the second round of the NCAA tournament. He set a Syracuse record for minutes played in conference games, averaging 40.4 minutes.

Griffin wasn't gifted into the coaching ranks either. His first coaching job was an assistant on the girls' team at Christian Brothers Academy. He then spent two years as an administrative assistant at Syracuse. His first real assistant coaching job on the college level was at St. Francis College in his hometown of Brooklyn.

But Griffin's coaching road would hit a few bumps along the way. He was on Tim Welsh's staff at Providence when Welsh was fired. Welsh hired Griffin again at Hofstra, but Welsh was let go after a DUI. Griffin and the rest of the Hofstra assistants were thrown into limbo. Eventually, Mo Cassara was promoted to head coach, which meant Griffin stayed on the payroll.

"Anything I wanted as a player and as a coach, I had to go out there and earn it,'' Griffin said. "I'm a workaholic. As a player and as a coach, I've always stayed the same. I like to stay in the gym and be around the guys as much as possible.''

One year later, Griffin got his big break. Archie Miller got the head coaching job at Dayton. Miller offered a job to Autry, who was an assistant at Virginia Tech. But Syracuse assistant coach Rob Murphy got the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan. Boeheim quickly moved to hire Autry.

Autry and Boeheim both endorsed Griffin for the opening at Dayton. Miller hired Griffin. Griffin became an integral part of Dayton's success over the past five years, including a run to the NCAA's Elite 8 in 2014.

"Arch got got me ready for this opportunity,'' Griffin said. "I gained so much experience there. I don't know how I could ever repay him.''

Griffin said he will put his experiences into use at Syracuse.

"I knew that over the past 5-6 years that I was putting myself in position for an opportunity like this,'' Griffin said. "I didn't think it was going to be at Syracuse because you look at Hop and Red and GMac and they're such a stable coaching staff. To have this opportunity to come back to Syracuse is very special. It's an exciting time for me.''