Isaiah Austin, Freshman, Center, Baylor
Overview:
A member of the ESPN All-America second team in boys basketball, this 7-foot center chose to stay close to home when he committed to the Bears and moved to Waco, a couple hours outside the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Austin, who attended Grace Prep in Arlington, had almost the entire Big 12 chasing after him during the recruiting hunt, and Arizona and Houston made offers to Austin in addition to Baylor. A good ballhandler and shooter, Austin’s mere presence under the basket is enough to scare the daylights out of an opponent.
Austin finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocks per game as a junior with Grace Prep, and it is those all-around skills that made many college coaches salivate at the thought of having Austin on their team. With Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller heading to the pros, Austin is thought of highly in Texas basketball circles as someone who could help the Bears climb back to the top.
Final Projection:
At 7 feet tall but only 210 pounds, Austin will need more meat on his frame if he is to push people around under the basket. Put a few more pounds on him and those tremendous post-up skills will come out. There is a reason why an entire conference chased after Austin, and it will come out soon. Once the rest of college basketball catches a glimpse at what Texas did, it will only be a matter of time before the NBA comes knocking and offers Austin a chance to hit the lottery.
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