Men's basketball transfer expects to return before season opener
Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. slams the ball into the basket and hangs onto the rim on Oct. 14 at McGuirk Arena.
Larry Austin made it clear — the prized men's basketball transfer wants to give all of his effort to Central Michigan.
While dealing with a minor foot injury, he elected not to play in the Chippewas exhibition game 89-84 win over Davenport on Oct. 29.
“I couldn’t really move laterally and when I’m out there I want to give it my all on both ends of the floor,” Austin said. “I didn’t want to be a liability on the defensive end. I really take pride in defense because it’s my biggest strength.”
This absence comes after Austin played in the Maroon and Gold contest on Oct. 14 and played in a majority of the minutes.
Head coach Keno Davis said there was no reason for him to play and make the injury worse in a game that doesn’t count.
“He’s had some nagging injuries and practiced the day before but just didn’t feel he was ready to be in a full game situation,” Davis said.
The Chippewas allowed the Panthers guard Dyllon Hudson-Emory score 26 points in the exhibition game.
“I think we need to talk better and have a little more alertness on the defensive end,” Austin said. “We can do a better job of talking as a whole group.”
Senior guard Shawn Roundtree took the workload on himself with Austin on the sideline, scoring a game-high 29 points. Davis believes the two will feed off of each other in future outings and it will make CMU better on both ends of the floor.
“I felt like the game came to me and I stayed confident,” Roundtree said. “I did what I felt needed to be done (without Austin).”
Austin expects to be back on the floor for the Chippewas season opener, but doesn’t know if he will be at full health.
“I’ll be better than I would’ve been had I played (against Davenport),” Austin said. “I think my foot is getting better each and every day, I don’t know if I will be at 100 percent but I’m going to give it my 100 percent effort regardless when I’m out there.”
