The 2013 leader in steals on the women’s basketball team is returning for her senior season in hopes of building upon that success.

Senior guard Mercedes Griffin was a bright spot on a 5-25 team last season. In the Missouri Valley Conference, she finished sixth in steals and third in minutes played.

Griffin changed her game at the beginning of last season by making the switch to point guard.

“[Griffin] had never played there before,” coach Cindy Stein said. “It’s hard when you haven’t practiced that position all summer and then you have to start the year there. She really stepped up.”

She finished the season with an average of 7.1 points, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

This season, Griffin moved back to her original position at shooting guard.

Through the first two games, Griffin has 8.5 points, 1.5 assists per game. Griffin has yet to record a steal.

“I am definitely back to a position I’m more comfortable with,” she said. “I am back in my natural habitat.”

Junior guard Cartaesha Macklin said Griffin is the fastest player on the team. By moving out of the point guard position, Griffin is able to utilize her speed by running the floor whenever she wants.

“You have to let her play. When she has to think too much it slows her down,” Stein said. “You don’t want her playing slow. Her strength is her speed.”

Stein said one of Griffin’s best qualities is her ability to come up big in important situations.

Last season, Griffin shot 2-29 from beyond the arc, but one of those came in a game on Jan. 2 against Bradley.

Griffin hit a three-pointer to send the game to overtime, a game the Salukis would go on to win in double overtime 100-96.

“She’s a weak three-point shooter unless the clock is winding down,” Stein said. “But in those situations, she always finds a way to score. She’s a gamer. When you need her to make a big, tough shot, she does.”

Although she can make the clutch shots when the team needs it, Griffin is known more for her defensive skills.

Macklin said she has always been inspired by Griffin’s defense, which she said is the best aspect of her game.

“[Griffin is] off the scales,” she said. “When she gets herself locked in and focused, she can shut down anybody. We look to her to shut down some of the best players we go up against.”

Griffin said she doesn’t think defense is something that can be taught to a player and attributes her defensive success to her work ethic and mindset.

She said she took on a defensive role early in her career and has loved doing it since.

As one of just three seniors on the team, Griffin is expected to be a leader, a role Stein said she does quietly.

“I would like to see her become a more vocal leader,” she said. “She’s a quiet, shy kid. So making her a little more vocal would be something that could get people to rally around her quicker.”

In her senior season, Griffin said she wants to improve her shot but most importantly, she wants to win.

“I just want to go out with a bang,” she said. “I think the team this year has the ability to do that. We have pieces that were missing last year and now that they’re back on the floor, we’re just rolling.”

Brent Meske can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brentmeskeDE.