Dukes’ Austin can’t score but he contributes

Maceo Austin holds no delusions about his current season.

While most young players would decline to admit the existence of a “freshman wall,” Duquesne’s freshman wing readily acknowledges it.

“I’ve hit it,” Austin said. “I’ve hit it every day in practice. But the guys, they keep me level-headed and they do a good job of keeping on the course.”

A consensus 3-star recruit, Austin is the highest-rated signing coach Keith Dambrot has had in his three seasons with the Dukes. That, along with his immediate spot in the starting lineup, might have raised expectations for the freshman.

But any struggles he has experienced are understandable.

Less than a month ago, his sister, Sara, passed away. In the wake of that personal tragedy, Austin leaned on his teammates for support. They all wore black socks and some donned headbands in Duquesne’s next game

against Fordham, and they all attended the services following Sara’s passing, all in an effort to show support for Austin.

“It makes me feel really comfortable,” Austin said Tuesday, the first time he has spoken with media since then. “It lets me know I’m welcome. They didn’t have to do what they did, but they took the time out of their days to make sure I was okay, I was good. So I’m gonna do the same thing for them.”

The situations aren’t necessarily analogous, but Austin has received similar support from his teammates and coaches while experiencing bumps in the road on the court this season.

After scoring 9.3 points per game in the Dukes’ first 15 matchups this season, Austin has seen that number drop by 1.1 points, as he has failed to score more than eight points in any of Duquesne’s six games since then.

The positive, and why Dambrot has complimented Austin so highly throughout the season, is that the freshman has learned to do other things on the court to make himself useful. Against Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago, Austin scored just four points, but he pulled down 10 rebounds for the first time in his career. He’s assisting and blocking shots more frequently, making an effort to do the little things while he tries to rediscover his scoring ability.

“I think Maceo’s really well-respected by our players because he brings it every day, he’s in a good mood every day,” Dambrot said. “He’s not perfect, but for a freshman, he’s very, very mature. And so I think, eventually, the ball will go in the basket. He’s had his hands on a lot of balls even on the offensive boards, and sometimes he doesn’t come up with it. He’s gonna get those eventually. And he’s gonna have a lot of success before his career is over here. It’s just a matter of when.”

Dambrot has said before, and he mentioned it again Tuesday, that he believes Austin’s development is paramount for the Dukes to realize their potential this season. In Dambrot’s eyes, Austin has the most room to grow, both because he’s young and because his ceiling is high.

Perhaps that places a lot of pressure on a young player. But Austin doesn’t seem to be fazed by it.

In his eyes, the shots will start falling eventually, if not immediately. Until then, he feels he can lean on his teammates to help lift him up.

“When shots aren’t falling, the guys are telling me, ‘Keep shooting. You’re gonna make it,’ ” Austin said. “And that just gives me all the confidence in the world.”