Sports Writer
Isaiah Austin, the highly-touted freshman center, announced Sunday that he is coming back to Baylor for his sophomore season.
Austin said he is excited to come back to Baylor and build off of last season’s NIT Championship.
He was projected by many to be a one-and-done player and bolt to the NBA following his freshman year, so to have Austin back in the green and gold is an immense boost for Baylor basketball.
“Winning the NIT championship is nothing compared to what we want to accomplish,” Austin said.
Choosing between another year at Baylor and his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA was not an easy choice.
“Talking a lot with my family and my teammates and coaches, we decided that this was the best decision for me,” Austin said. “It would give me time to mature and work on my body. It’ll help me and my teammates grow closer together in the long run and we all want a National Championship at Baylor.”
One aspect of his game that Austin would like to improve on is defense.
“You know I’m going to stay aggressive on the boards and learning to block more shots and work on my post,” Austin said.
The freshman center averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game last season.
Austin is understandably thrilled with the idea of once again playing with forward Cory Jefferson, who announced Thursday that he would come back to Baylor for his senior season.
The duo of Austin and Jefferson gives Baylor two legitimate next-level players in the frontcourt.
“Cory, he’s a great player and it’s always fun to have leadership on the court like him with you,” Austin said. “When he plays, he just gives our team an extra boost.”
Another contributing factor to why Austin decided to come back was a torn posterior labrum injury that he suffered in his shoulder.
The Baylor basketball program is hoping to build off of last season’s accomplishments when they won the NIT Championship on April 4.
