Finley Bizjack, mom's bond grew through basketball. 'When he's shooting, he'll talk to me.'

Raising three athletically inclined children, partially as a single mother, Amber Griggs had to delegate her time the best she could.

Griggs encouraged her children to try multiple sports — football, soccer, basketball — but her oldest son, Finley Bizjack, quickly learned the best way to get her undivided attention was to play basketball. Griggs, a former college basketball player at San Diego State, would rebound for him as he worked to perfect his game.

Their time spent practicing together helped Bizjack's love for basketball grow and strengthened their bond.

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"When he's shooting, he'll talk to me and be able to not think about our discussion and what he's sharing with me and just talk," Griggs said. "We get to have these bonding moments that I don't have with either of my other children because they're not basketball players.

"As a single mom getting my attention was really hard to do because I work. That was his way of getting me to stop what I'm doing and rebound."

When Bizjack — now a Butler freshman — was 10, a visit from a neighbor showed Griggs that her son's passion for basketball was bordering on obsessive.

Every day before school, Bizjack would wait for the bus and shoot at his neighbor's basketball hoop. Unbeknownst to the young hooper, his dribbling was waking his sleeping neighbors, so one day they asked Griggs if her son could find a new place to practice.

Griggs knew she couldn't take the basketball out of her son's hands, so they devised a plan to continue practicing without disturbing the neighbors. Every morning, Bizjack rode his bike from their home in the Dallas/Fort Worth area 3.1 miles to the Keller Pointe Recreation Center, getting there when it opened at 5 a.m. Bizjack stopped for doughnuts after his workout and would ride his bike to school afterward. Before reaching high school, a true gym rat was born.

"When I was a kid, I was shooting 500 to 1,000 shots (per day)," Bizjack said. "I love basketball. I couldn't get the basketball out of my hand. I was shooting every chance I got.

"I think it helped (my confidence) tremendously. I feel like I'm a very confident person and I don't think I lacked that. I feel like repetition and working on everything builds confidence. I'm never not confident about anything I'm doing because I know I've put in the preparation for it."

That confidence is starting to shine through for the former ESPN Top 100 recruit. Bizjack tied his career high with six points on two made 3-pointers against Buffalo. The 6-4 guard came to Butler with a reputation as a scorer. He's yet to have the breakout performance, but on a team with veteran scorers ahead of him like Pierre Brooks II, Jahmyl Telfort and D.J. Davis, Bizjack has taken on more of a facilitating role early in his career.

He dished out a career-high five assists in his second career game against Southeast Missouri State. Through nine games, Bizjack has 10 assists and just six turnovers. He's capable of playing either guard position and has shown strong chemistry with fellow freshman Boden Kapke, handling their first road game well in front of a hostile crowd in East Lansing.

"I thought Boden and Finley did a really nice job," Butler coach Thad Matta said after Butler's loss to Michigan State. "Defensively they were pretty good. This is great for those guys."

Solid defense will always be a great way to earn consistent playing time. Since arriving on campus, Bizjack added 15 pounds of muscle to better withstand the rigors of high-major college basketball.

With two nonconference games remaining, Big East play will not be the first time Bizjack takes the court against high-level players. Griggs' husband, Bizjack's stepfather, is former NFL player Korey Beard. Beard's best friend is former NBA veteran guard Devin Harris.

When the world shut down during the height of COVID, Bizjack had access to gyms through the DFW thanks to his relationship with Harris. Working with Harris and playing against other locals who needed a place to work out like former NBA No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham helped Bizjack take his game to another level.

"They took down the rims on all the outdoor playgrounds so kids wouldn't gather and play," Griggs said. "It was almost like a speakeasy. You'd have a special knock, and you'd open the door to the gym.

"During the year and half of COVID, his shot went from great to pretty spectacular because he and Devin can be in the gym every day for as long as they wanted. People that are in our circle that knew Fin would be like, 'Hey, I have a gym in my house. Let me give you a key, I got a shooting machine. You can come over anytime you want. He got a lot of opportunities during COVID normal kids didn't get."

Whether it was training with pros or playing on former Indiana Pacers star Jermaine O'Neal's AAU team, Drive Nation, Bizjack's upbringing helped him develop an advanced understanding of the game.

Even with an impressive list of basketball peers, Bizjack's most memorable moments will be the times spent getting up shots with his mother.

"My mom and my entire family have been a great support system," Bizjack said. "Whether it's going to practice an hour away or going to this workout or driving to Houston, which is five hours from where I'm at, going all around the state and going to different basketball tournaments.

"I'm very fortunate to have the people that I have that have put all their hopes and desires aside for my dream. I'm beyond lucky to have that."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: Finley Bizjack's confidence comes from mom, NBA star