Joe Griffin joins the Bluejay coaching staff in 2025-26, having served as a coach at various levels for 20 years.
Griffin brings experience from four levels of college basketball, serving two years in NCAA Division 1, four in Division 2, one season in Division 3, and twelve in the NAIA. Griffin began his college coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Michigan State under Hall-of-Famer Tom Izzo; shortly after Griffin became a Head Coach at 29 years old, leading the revival of the Roosevelt University men's basketball program.
Roosevelt increased their win total in each of the first five years of the program, culminating with an NAIA National Tournament berth and school-record 26 wins in 2018. After Roosevelt, he joined the staff at Lewis University for three seasons, helping the program increase their winning percentage each season from 2023 to 2025.
In 2018, Roosevelt was the third-best defensive team in the country, catapulting the Lakers to the NAIA National Tournament as a 5-seed. Coach Griffin was named NABC NAIA Coach of the Year in 2018, as well as CCAC Co-Coach of the Year. Roosevelt produced runner-up finishes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) regular season and CCAC tournament.
From 2017-22, Roosevelt had the 3rd-best record of the 10 Chicago-based 4-year universities, behind only Loyola and Illinois Tech. Under Griffin’s leadership, 39 of the last 40 seniors who completed their eligibility graduated, while registering an average team GPA of 3.1 from 2014-2021. From 2011-22, he coached 2 NAIA All-Americans and developed 13 All-CCAC performers, along with numerous Academic All-CCAC and Academic All-American recipients. He also recruited 3 CCAC Freshman of the Year award winners, in 2016, 2020, and 2022.
At Michigan State, Griffin played pivotal roles in the areas of player development, game-planning, strength and conditioning, opponent and self-scouting, video coordination, travel, and on-campus recruiting. In his two seasons with the Spartans, Griffin aided Michigan State to 50 wins and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2008.
Griffin’s playing career included two seasons at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Michigan from 1998-2000, where he was a 45% three-point shooter with the Skippers.
Coach Griffin is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as well as the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) and has been a featured speaker at multiple coaching clinics across Illinois. He is an active mentor within both associations, and to numerous coaches, athletes, and families.
In addition to coaching at Elmhurst, Griffin also serves as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Kinesiology, and he is pursuing his PhD in Sport Leadership Philosophy at Concordia University Chicago, with research into dynamic relationship strategies between players, parents, and coaches.
He and his wife live in Oak Park, Illinois, along with their 3 children.
