Published Saturday, March 20, 2010 12:20 AM

Baylor's Griner ready to turn focus back to basketball

Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Brittney Griner used to be known as the YouTube Girl for the way her impressive dunks as a high schooler went viral across the Internet.

There's another video clip of Griner that has spread almost as quickly: The punch she threw at a Texas Tech player earlier this month that led to her suspension.

The start of her first NCAA tournament for Baylor on Saturday gives Griner a chance to rebuild her image as the 6-foot-8 shot-blocker who has the ability to transform her sport with an uncanny combination of size and athleticism.

"I would advise people not to judge me off that one incident," Griner said Friday. "It will never happen again. I've learned from it. It will move along."

The fourth-seeded Bears (23-9) take on 13th-seeded Fresno State (27-6) in a first-round game in the Memphis Regional. Fifth-seeded Georgetown (25-6) faces No. 12 seed Marist (26-7) in the other game at Haas Pavilion.

Griner apologized in a written statement the following day and was suspended for two games. She returned in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament and admittedly wasn't herself as the Bears lost to Oklahoma.

"I think she'll get back to being the player that she was prior to the incident," coach Kim Mulkey said. "But I don't know if it will be tomorrow. I don't know when it will be."

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