St. Louis standout Austin considering Tigers

Class of 2014 point guard is finding a lot to like about Memphis, Pastner

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — As fluid as the University of Memphis’ recruiting has been in the class of 2014, one prospect the staff seems to have been steadfast on is St. Louis Eagles point guard Larry Austin Jr.

Austin (6-1, 160) unofficially visited the U of M last December for its game against Louisville. He mentioned the Tigers as a potential choice after a buzzer-beating 67-64 win against Memphis’ Team Penny on Saturday morning in the Nike Elite Youth Invitational Peach Jam at the Riverview Park and Activities Center.

“I like Memphis,” said Austin, who is also considering SMU, West Virginia, Stanford, Florida State and DePaul, among others. “They have a good coach — a good, young coach. They like to get up and down and he develops his players, you know.”

The native of Lanphier, Ill., was nothing if not steady against Team Penny. Though he mostly deferred to his teammates in the first half, he became more aggressive down the stretch and gave his team the lead with just over 10 seconds remaining with an acrobatic floater.

He finished with 15 points and three assists.

“Our coach told me about (not being aggressive enough),” Austin said. “He told me I can’t let our team lose. We’d worked too hard to come this far and lose. At the end of the game, I just decided I had to take over and put points on the board and score for the team, in addition to getting guys open and creating shots (for them).”

Austin, rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, said he’s also taken note of the Tigers being mentioned favorably with Cliff Alexander, a Chicago power forward and the No. 2 player in the country, according to ESPN. The two are teammates on the USA Under 18 3-on-3 team, which reconvenes next month for the USA Basketball 3x3 national championship.

Alexander, a five-star prospect, said last week he plans to officially visit Memphis in October for Memphis Madness.

“It (sparks my interest), definitely,” Austin said. “He’s a threat down low.”

For the 2014 season, the U of M will need to replace senior guards Joe Jackson, Chris Crawford and Geron Johnson, at least. Austin, a heady floor general, could become a prime candidate as the July evaluation period goes on.

Austin’s father, Larry Sr., said the Tigers’ consistent presence throughout his son’s recruitment makes a difference.

“It means a whole lot to the family, especially him, because you’re talking about relationships,” Austin Sr. said. “He wants to play for someone he can trust and who cares about winning. The fact that Memphis was there early … will weigh heavily into the decision.”