Illinois Basketball: Remembering the careers of the Illini seniors

Alex Austin

The career for Alex Austin at Illinois was short lived. He transferred into the program after spending two years at Eastern Illinois where he was averaging around 22 minutes per game.

Austin wasn’t expected to play much, like this season. He only saw two minutes per game and averaged .4 points in those contests as well. That is how it was supposed to be when he first came in.

But, my fondest memory of Austin was him getting thrust into action when Illinois needed bodies on the floor in his first year with the team. This was an emergency player that stepped in and did the best job he possibly could.

In his first year with the program, Illinois had players dropping like flies. They needed help at guard and Austin came in and provided 1.3 points per game in the 9.8 minutes he received. I won’t remember him for his offense, though, but more on the defensive side of the court.

I always thought Austin was a solid defender that needed a better shot. He had some talent and I appreciated how hard he played when Illinois needed him in a rough season. That is how I will remember Austin.