Craig Austrie split time with Doug Wiggins as the second option at the point position, averaging 19 minutes a game. His athletic ability doesn’t stand out but he gets more out of his talent than any other teammate. He does not have blinding speed, incredible hops or the sharpest court sense but he wrings out every ounce of talent and leaves it on the court.The Good: It starts on his shooting ability. Craig was the most consistent shooter on the team beyond the arc, averaging .341 and holds the title of best free throw shooter at .756 which shows the glaring weakness of the team last year. Austrie has the right combination of shooting and passing skills needed to keep opposing defenses from doubling the big men and collapsing their zones.
Craig had a calming effect over the team when he ran the point and started 6 games while A.J. tried to find his game. He averaged 2.4 assists per turnover which was best on the team. Price only averaged 1.8 assists per turnover. His combination of playing within himself and running the show helped stabilize the backup point guard position.
The Bad: The knock on Austrie is his athletic ability. He will not blow by defenders and doesn’t have the skills yet to slice into lanes and dish out. His lack of speed is also evident on the defensive side of the ball, where defenders tend to screen him out of plays and enter the lane. He plays off his man and lets them shoot over him.
Craig also needs to work on getting weak side rebounds averaging only 1.7 a game. He needs to find his way inside and help in that department.
Overall: Craig must work harder and longer than his other teammates to take his game up another notch. His speed will not get him to the next level, so he’ll have to work on strength. If he keeps up with his shooting and assists to turnovers, both Uconn bests, then look for Craig to increase playing time and solidifying the back up point guard position.
If he mirrors his game after a Chauncey Billups with a combination of court sense, strength and shooting skills, Austrie could slip into the starting role one day at Uconn and possibly into the NBA.
1 comment:
craig austrie is one of the smartest players on the uconn team. Playing alongside hotheads like jerome dyson,he creates a good controlled offense, and when he plays the point, it is evident that the offense runs more smoothly. They pass the ball around more and wait for something to happen, rather that do it all themselves. Although he does not have outstanding athletic ability,he is a good, consistent ball handler, and has an excellent sense of what is going in. Whenever the offense if not performing well because they are too wild, austrie is the perfect cure because of his low tempo, find a good shot style. He will slow down the offense and let them execute plays, and this is including his good 3 point shot.
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