NOT AGAIN: Nation's top ranked 2028 girls basketball player from California down with knee injury

Ontario Christian rising sophomore Tati Griffin could be lost for 2025-26 season if MRI results reveal ACL tear; Follows fellow Californians JuJu Watkins, McKenna Woliczko with knee trauma

Ontario Christian freshman Tati Griffin drives hard to the basket en route to two of her 14 points, helping the Knights beat Archbishop Mitty 61-44 in the premier game of the 4th Sabrina Ionescu Classic in Concord 1/4/2025. Griffin injured her right knee in a summer event Sunday July 6 and the girls basketball community holds their breath waiting for MRI results to return early this week. / Photo: Dennis Lee

A third high profile California female basketball starlet in the last six months might be facing a season-ending knee injury. 

The latest is reigning national Freshman of the Year Tati Griffin, a 5-foot-11 guard from national power Ontario Christian (Calif.), who Sunday, according to a first-hand report from retired longtime high school sports writer/editor Keith Peters, went down in the first quarter of a Cali Cup game at Ladera Sports Center in Ladera Ranch (Calif.).  

Late in the first quarter of her team’s U17 EYBL Why Not premier team, Griffin twisted her right knee, fell to the floor and screamed in pain. “She remained on the floor at least 10 minutes, until she could be helped to her feet and carried to the trainer’s table,” Peters said. “She remained there for another 15 minutes or so before being taken out of the facility in a wheelchair.” 

Due to the seriousness of the injury and Griffin’s popularity, the game against Troop West was immediately cancelled. Team Why Not was tuning up for a big tourney in Las Vegas July 12-13 and the Nike Nationals in Chicago July 19-20. 

Griffin is a member of the 2026 USA Women’s U16 National team. In her first two games for the team last month in Mexico, she made quite a splash with a combined 32 points and 12 rebounds.

During her high school season, she averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game for the 30-2 Knights, the 2025 Southern Section Open champions, who were led in scoring by 5-8 guard Kaleena Smith, the nation’s No. 1 recruit for the Class of 2027, according to ESPN. 

The freshmen sensations, Tati Griffin (left) and Sydney Douglas with tough interior defense last season in a game versus Millennium. Griffin injured her right knee July 6 at the Cali Cup and MRI results are due early this week. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Griffin is the No. 1 recruit from the Class of 2028, according to the same service, giving her the only 5-star ranking in the class. No. 2 from the 2028 class is the former teammate of Smith and Griffin in 6-5 forward Sydney Douglas, who transferred to Corona Centennial after the season.  ESPN also ranked her the No. 7 overall prospect in the country regardless of class.

Bad timing for JuJu Watkins

Mitty 5-star 2026 Mitty standout McKenna Woliczko sustained an ACL tear in a January game against — yes, Ontario Christian — as did USC star JuJu Watkins, the former high school national Player of the Year from Sierra Canyon. 

Watkins’ injury occurred in a second-round NCAA Tournament playoff game against Mississippi State in March. Watkins, like Griffin, injured her right knee while Woliczko injured her left knee. Both those injuries occurred without contact. 

Peters said he couldn’t tell if there was contact. “Troop West was scoring and I think Tati was in position to rebound away from the ball,” he said. “Evidently she just moved her body but not her leg, thus the twisted knee.” 

Many speculated Sunday it was another torn ACL, but reports Monday from the Why Not camp are they are hopeful it is “only” a dislocation, which could require just a brace.  

An email to Ontario Christian coach Audre Cummings was not immediately returned. 

Game is precious

Cummings was one of the most distraught people in the gym on Jan. 4 when Woliczko went down in the second quarter against the Knights. 

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With Griffin on the court, Woliczko screamed in pain, silencing a packed crowd at Carondelet in Concord, Calif. Like Griffin on Sunday, Wolicizo was helped off the floor and taken to a training room. Two days later, it was revealed she had torn ACL and lateral meniscus. 

While medical staff tended to Woliczko that day, Cummings didn’t gather his team to talk strategy — the Knights trailed 19-17 in the second quarter and ended up winning 61-44 — but instead asked the team to just pray for the 6-2 star who was the SBLive/High School on SI national Freshman and Sophomore of the Year in 2022-23 and 2023-24. 

“The game is precious but we always hope that no one gets injured,” Cummings said after the game. “I hope she’s OK — that’s bigger than the win for sure.” 

Possible blessing in disguise

As upsetting as it was that day, and the Monarchs, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time and eventually lost in the state finals, the injury might be a blessing personally in disguise, Woliczki told us last month at CaliLive in Roseville (Calif.) 

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She’ll have nine months to rest her body, build up her strength in weight training and focus on skill work, like perimeter shooting. 

McKenna Woliczko said she's never been stronger from head to toe with all the extra conditioning she's done during rehab for her torn ACL. / Photo by Dennis Lee

If Griffin’s injury or time away from the game is similar, she can possibly take the same path. 

Results of Griffin’s MRI are due early this week. 

• 49-YEAR CAREER ENDS | Keith Peters says goodbye

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