:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32842605/20140314_ajl_sn3_547.0.jpg)
Well, per @TrevonBluiett twitter account Larry Austin is joining him in Xavier's 2014 recruiting class. Austin initially signed w Tennessee
— Brian Snow (@BSnowScout) May 10, 2014
Seriously?
S/O to my boy @_LarryAustin2_ for committing to Xavier! Big things about to happen in the future! Congrats bro!#xaviernation
— Trevon Bluiett (@TrevonBluiett) May 10, 2014
Oh, okay. Is anyone else reporting it?
2014 guard Larry Austin has committed to Xavier, source told @CBSSports.....
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 10, 2014
Rothstein's credibility is off the charts, so I'm going to go with that. All this leads up to one obvious question: who is Larry Austin?
Austin is a 6'1", 161-pound PG out of Illinois. Brian Snow reported in late April that the former Tennessee commit had been released from his LOI and was reopening his recruitment. Before signing with Tennesse, Austin received offers from Big East schools Creighton and DePaul, as well as Iowa, Kansas State, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and SMU (among others) Scout and ESPN both have him as a three-star recruit and one of the top 30 players in the nation at his position.
Austin's immediate strengths are toughness, leadership, and athletic ability, especially in the full court. He has great court vision and is adept at getting to and finishing at the rim. His jumper is a work in progress, though it should be noted it is coming along quite nicely. He'll need to continue to work on that as well as the usual strength and conditioning that almost all players have to focus on coming out of high school.
After JMart and Semaj left with eligibility still in hand, Xavier had a scholarship open. Austin's apparent commitment once again fills up the squad. Xavier will have six freshmen and a newly-eligible transfer on the roster this season, so it will be interesting to see how everything falls into place. That said, there's enough talent on this team to play the second weekend of the tournament if Coach Mack can bring it all together.
Here's what Austin looks like in action:
