"Zubayr is Zubayr."

Our latest Athlete of the Week is showing off on Southern Tier courts, but if you ask his teammates and coaches, this sophomore leap was expected.

Whether its blowing by defenders, handling the ball on a string, or shooting lights out, Zubayr Griffin is up to 27 points per game.

"They can't just double team me, triple team me cause we have other scorers," Griffin said. "So that opens it up for me and makes it easier for me to score."

And one move that makes that happen?

"I'd say probably my hesi. You know they can't [defend it]," Griffin said. "Hesi, jump, layup, you know."

Which has helped develop the rising freshman into the star sophomore.

"I think it's paying off for him right now, and it's paying off for this team," said head coach Dominic Nadz. "As long as he keeps his head on the right way, he can go as far as he wants honestly."

But if you ask number 20 himself, its takes a village.

"If it wasn't for my teammates I wouldn't be as successful as I am, I have to thank my teammates they put me in the right position to be successful and do as good as I do," Griffin said. "So I got to give it to my teammates and my coach."

Coming to varsity as a freshman last year, senior guard Qsan Tucker already knew the hidden talent.

"For a freshman I knew it for a long time, I knew he was going to come in and do that, and I expected him to do that," Tucker said. "I'm the one that feeds him the ball. If he was hot, other people were saying don't give him the ball. I was the one feeding him the ball, I knew he was like that already. For sure and me and Zubayr's chemistry is crazy. As a team, our chemistry is better with Zubayr."

It didn't take long for his teammates to catch on to the hot hand.

"When it's time to get down to the nitty gritty and work we need to get a stop we need to get a bucket you always see him saying, 'I'm picking up the best guy or i'm going at this guy to try to get a bucket'," Nadz said. "But it's not selfishly like he knows that he can do those things and I've seen him prove it and his teammates believe in him and we believe him as a team too as well."

Proved on and off the court, but you won't find Griffin outside the gym often.

"His work outside of the gym, and inside of the gym is nasty," Tucker said. "Outside of practice, he's still at the gym. Probably when we leave here, he's probably gonna go to the gym, he's a hard worker."

And there, he's working out with his family so it means even more when they're in the stands come gameday.

"It means a lot, I get that extra boost. When I see family in the crowd, see my little brothers, little sisters, see my grandmother, definitely makes me play better," Griffin said.

What's Griffin like on the court? Simply put...

"I don't know, I try to play like myself," Griffin said.

"I'm not sure, Zubayr is Zubayr," Tucker said. "I can't really compare it to nobody right now. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head. But he's a nice basketball player, good basketball player, actually a very good basketball for a sophomore and for his age, he's very good."

Both Zubayr and Qsan are looking to play basketball in college.

If you want to nominate a student-athlete as Athlete of the Week, email [email protected].