Norwin grad Alayna Gribble making successful comeback at St. Joseph's

From academics to basketball, Alayna Gribble likes to stay a step ahead of things in her life. She prefers to be on time and get her work done early. Why wait?

On a Monday, she already is thinking about Wednesday’s plans. Procrastination is like a turnover on a fast break: It only serves to slow her down.

“I’ve always been that way,” she said.

Even when the former Norwin star had to call it quits at Pitt two years ago because of multiple concussions, she was distraught, yes, but she also had an eye toward what might happen down the road with her basketball career.

Cut to 2021. The hyper-focused Gribble is starting at another Division I program and leading St. Joseph’s in scoring, another example of her long-term planning paying off.

Returning to the game was like riding a bike to Gribble, who still can throw daggers from behind the 3-point line and make her teammates better with her court smarts.

While applause from the crowd is missing and her sisters are only in attendance as cardboard cutouts, she is proudly playing again — with no regrets.

“I had to think it through, but I knew I wanted to play again,” she said. “I worked out, ran and did things like that and played pick-up games so I’d know whether I’d be ready.”

During her time away, she began to lay the foundation for life after basketball, which won’t begin until two years from now because she plans to play another season in 2021-22.

With a scholarship paying for her pursuit of a master’s degree in data intelligence, the graduate student worked three internships focusing on accounting and inventory.

Even during a pandemic, Gribble was organized and poised, taking advantage of the down time.

“To be 23 and be able to get my MBA and play basketball, that’s something I never could have imagined before,” Gribble said. “You never think about getting your master’s at that age.”

Gribble took more than a degree from Pitt. Her on- and off-court experiences helped her reboot at St. Joseph’s, located in Philadelphia. She considered some other offers closer to home, including one from Division II Seton Hill, but ultimately headed east.

“The level of play is pretty comparable,” she said of St. Joseph’s, which plays in the Atlantic 10. “Things have gone pretty smoothly. I liked coming to a new city with new people. There was a challenge with a new school and a new culture, but I feel like I had the experience and basketball IQ to handle it all.”

St. Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin said Gribble has been a strong addition to the team, not only from a leadership and maturity perspective but also as a go-to scorer.

“Her perimeter skill set is exceptional, and her shooting ability from the 3, mid-range and getting to the basket have made her a big-time threat for us on offense,” Griffin said.

Gribble missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury but is expected back soon.

In the Hawks’ season opener, she had 13 points, three 3-pointers and five rebounds in 30 minutes in a 72-64 victory over Lincoln.

Against Monmouth, she added 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting and made all five of her 3-point shots in an 80-52 win.

“She plays with confidence and poise that our players feed off of,” Griffin said. “We are excited that she is a Hawk.”

If Gribble looks confident on the floor, it’s because she is comfortable.

“I have a bigger role,” she said. “I have more freedom than I had at Pitt. I have a green light, and I am not afraid to take big shots.”

Taking two years off and returning to play Division I basketball like a pro coming out of retirement was not as easy as Gribble has made it look.

Playing careers have shelf lives, but she was not quite ready to end hers. Gribble did not presuppose a return would be easy, and she knew she would have to continue to train like a Division-I athlete if she wanted to remain one.

When Gribble didn’t have her nose in a book in the offseason, she was grinding to stay in basketball shape.

During the stay-at-home months and thereafter brought on by the covid-19 scare, she honed her shooting and worked out locally with The Scoring Factory and area trainer Nick Ionadi.

“I put a lot of work in,” she said. “I never felt like I lost my shooting ability or skills.”

Gribble said she does not play with any hesitation due to her concussion issues of the past because, “I don’t think about it. I don’t want to play timid or afraid.”

Norwin’s all-time leading scorer (1,782 points), Gribble led the Lady Knights to back-to-back WPIAL championships.

Her Pitt career was taking off when it suddenly was grounded. She missed the 2019-20 season with the Panthers due to concussions and was granted a medical disqualification. She played in 52 games at Pitt, including 15 starts, and scored 371 points. When she left the program, she ranked 10th in career 3-pointers made with 96. She tied a school record with seven 3s in a game.