He established an everlasting reputation on the court that will now be looked upon far into the future; senior Charlie Griffith’s hard work and dedication to basketball has earned him a team award named in his honor. 

“It was previously called the ‘Antler Award,’ but they changed it to the ‘Charlie Griffith Antler Award,’” Griffith said. “It is basically because of how much of a hard worker I am. At practice I would stand out because of how I would always dive on the floor and go after loose balls and was just a good teammate.” 

In seventh grade Griffith said he didn’t make the basketball team in tryouts, so this award shows the determination and relentless drive to improve that Griffith undertook. It was the hard work, growth, and leadership the coaching staff saw in Griffith to bring them to their decision.

“We have coached this group all the way from freshman to senior year and Charlie really embodies what we want that award to be about,” teacher and basketball coach Nick Thompson said. “He put the team first, he did everything we asked him to do, he practiced super hard, and is super competitive.”

To come from not making the team when he first started his journey in middle school, to becoming one of the best on the team is a once in a lifetime accomplishment Griffith will always remember.

“If you would have told me even his sophomore year that he would have started pretty much every game, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Thompson said. “But he committed to getting better and doing exactly what we asked him to do, and to do what he could to play.”

Griffith said he has been dedicated to basketball since he was about seven years old. 

“My favorite player was Steph Curry,” Griffith said. “He’s probably the reason why I play basketball and I have kind of modeled my game after him.” Having a goal in mind over the years of playing a sport is always a good mindset to have, to keep yourself on track to who you want to be modeled by. 

Even though the Griffith family is not known to have only basketball players, this player has had an inspiring person by his side to lead him in the right direction.

“I would say my dad is my biggest inspiration because he is always a hard worker,” Griffith said.  “I see he can always find a way to get through every situation, so I look up to him that way.” 

This 2025-2026 season was his last year to play high school ball with his closest friends, but the season didn’t come without its challenges.

“With this season, we didn’t end where we wanted to and our record probably wasn’t the best,” Griffith said. “But it was my favorite year of basketball because of how close we were as a team and with the underclassmen. This year was the best chemistry we have had as a team.” 

The team bonds that were built definitely helped the team be successful together.

“I have been playing with my teammates since about middle school,” Griffith said. “And I have a really good relationship with my coaches too. They took a chance on me and they have helped me grow as a player.”

Now that the season has come to an end, there will be memories and relationships missed to think back on in future years.

“I will miss my teammates the most after high school, just how close we were as a group,” Griffith said. “We would always hang out after games and go to dinner before so I will definitely miss them.” 

Though his basketball career is over, Griffith said he will now focus and dedicate his time to the family lawn care business. He said he plans to study business at Metro Community College.

“With basketball,” Griffith said. “I’m sure I’ll get together with my friends and play some pickup on the side.” 

Griffith said his path to success is something any future player can follow, adding it’s hard work that will get you closest to success.

“It doesn’t really matter where you’re at or what talents you have,” Griffith said. “It all comes down to how hard you work. You can become whoever you want to be with hard work.”

An award being named after a student-athlete has never happened at Elkhorn High, so it is proof of the impact Griffith has made in basketball history at this school.

“This means a lot to me,” Griffith said. “It is also probably going to be around for a while, so it being named after me is pretty surreal to think about.”