ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — He was where the winner of the league’s Most Improved Player award might be expected to be.

LaDarien Griffin was in the gym.

The junior forward has just finished up a workout with teammate Courtney Stockard and assistant coach Dave Moore on Tuesday afternoon when other members of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team delivered the news: He had just been named the co-recipient of this year’s Chris Daniels award for most improved.

“They were like, ‘yo, congratulations,’” Griffin recalled, “and I’m like, ‘what are you talking about?’ They said, ‘yo, you won most improved.’ It was crazy. It was a cool moment to find out and have those guys there with me.’”

The first thing he did was call his dad.

Two years ago, the following truths might have been difficult to process, for both Griffin and those who watched him: In 2017-18, Griffin is one of the more ameliorated players in the conference. He’s an indispensable player on an NCAA Tournament team.

As a freshman, the Jacksonville native rarely saw the floor, averaging just three minutes in 11 total contests. The gap between his athleticism and skill level was as wide as the divide between Bona and Fordham in the Atlantic 10 standings.

In some circles, fans wondered if the coaching staff had swung and missed on this rangy recruit from Florida, the first member of its 2016 recruiting class.

Then again, we’ve seen this kind of metamorphosis before, in Youssou Ndoye, in Dion Wright, in Denzel Gregg. The Bona coaching staff has a proven track record of developing under-recruited, unheralded players.

Griffin is just the latest example.

And so he worked, evolving from a little-used freshman to a sophomore who displayed flashes to a junior starter-type who averages nine points, seven rebounds, over one block and at least one crowd-pleasing, high-rising dunk per game.

“Who would have thought as a freshman that he’d be the most improved player,” coach Mark Schmidt asked literally. “It’s almost like Denzel, Dion. They come in, who are they? They struggle a little bit early. But they continue to work and they persevere. Hats off to them. They deserve (the accolades).”

Jim Martin saw the transformation coming.

In May of 2015, Martin, Griffin’s coach at Providence High School in Jacksonville, was gushing about his star forward’s athleticism and upside in an interview with the Times Herald. He was almost prophetic in his assessment of Griffin

“He’s going to be that kid, by that second or third year, that I think it’s like, ‘Gosh, where did this kid come from?’” said Martin, the brother of nearby Allegany-Limestone girls coach Frank Martin. “And then he blossoms into being that player where I think he has the chance to be great, and everybody’s going to say, ‘How did St. Bonaventure get this kid?’”

While Martin was sure of it, Griffin wasn’t so certain.

He admits he was discouraged by the lack of playing time he received as a freshman. He had a trying sophomore season, losing a grandmother (and, eventually, a grandfather) while still questioning his role on a guard-dominant team. Fifteen-hundred miles away, he was rarely able to get home.

All the while, his teammates encouraged him to stick with it. Ultimately, he was able to convince himself to do the same.

“Last year was a rough year, just personally,” he said, “and those guys just encouraged me throughout the year. That little bit of a stretch, especially you’re not going home a lot, it’s a tough thing, and those guys encouraged me … also, my parents and the coaching staff.

“I didn’t want to get up and just pack up and leave like a lot of guys. (In) college basketball, a lot of guys just leave when it gets rough. I just wanted to see it through.”

For Griffin, the two-year climb was worth it.

On Wednesday, he boarded a plane to D.C. as one of the top players on one of the teams to beat in this year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament. A week from today, he will likely be playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Griffin went from an unsung hero to a difference-maker in some of the biggest Bona games of the year (remember the late block he had against Rhode Island with one shoe on? Or his putback dunk against VCU?)

He’s just the second Chris Daniels award winner in Bona annals alongside J.R. Bremer, who earned the award as a senior, and a deserving one.

And Griffin is right. A lot of other guys would have left if they’d gotten the kind of time that he did as a freshman and a sophomore. A handful of recent Bona players, in fact, HAVE left for that very reason.

The 6-foot-6 junior, however, never really considered it. He thought back to those conversations and summer workouts with his dad.

“When you sign on that dotted line, I’m giving you my word that I’m going to play here,” he said. “My parents installed that in me at a young age, that you take that serious. I just wanted to see it through.

“My first two years, the coaches were like, ‘alright, you’ve got to start working harder,’ and I just took that into consideration. I just started working hard, give every day in practice and treat it like it’s a game. Once I started playing more and started getting more comfortable, I kind of start seeing the light.”

He added: “It’s a little bright, but it’s not as bright as I want it to be.”