BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) -- When Paris Austin jumped into a pickup game with the Boise State basketball team during his recruiting visit last September, he wasn't over-matched like a typical senior in high school would be...he looked good enough to play right away.
Austin is proving that he can do just that right now as a freshman, scoring a career-high of 16 points in only his second start of the season Wednesday night, to lead Boise State to a 100-36 win over Division-III Wilammette.
Austin was one of the highest-ranked recruits ever to sign with BSU last November, and has lived up to the hype so far. He scored his 16 points on five of eight shooting, and also added six rebounds and four assists.
It's early, but Austin looks like he's got a chance to be a special talent.
"He brings a lot," said David Wacker, a BSU basketball player. "I think he brings that spark and you saw it tonight, just his court vision. When he was here on his visit, I thought he was the best passer and could play for us at that time. He was that good of a passer and that good of a floor general."
"Paris is maybe one of the best feel for the game guys on our team," said Boise State coach Leon Rice. "Nick is probably the best, but Paris has a great feel for the game. He just has to get more and more comfortable in our system and what we're doing, both offensively and defensively."
The 5'11", 180-pound freshman had 15 points in a win against Concordia in his only other start on Nov. 23; he then showed off his complete game Wednesday, getting into the lane with ease before finishing at the rim or dishing to open teammates for buckets. He even hit a 3-pointer, and added two steals.
Boise State has other talented options at the point guard position in seniors Mikey Thompson and Montigo Alford, but Austin looks like he's going to continue to push them for playing time.
"For me, I'm very confident in my basketball abilities," Austin said. "Now just because I might have dominated in high school I don't think I'm going to come to college and dominate. It's a bigger challenge. But I think I can do well at the college level."
"I think he's going to be somebody that really makes a difference down the stretch of the season," Wacker said. "I just see the confidence that he has in himself and the fact that he's not selfish. He's a true point guard. That's a great thing to bring to this team."
Boise State improved to 4-4 with the win on Wednesday. They hit the road for a Saturday game at Portland, before returning for a five-game home stand starting Wednesday night against Loyola Marymount. For more on the Broncos, check out BlueTurfSports.com.
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifLS8zqurrGeSpLa0sYysq5qslWSzs7HSoaSapl2XwLZ5wZqqpJ2kl66tuIyrnJyqpZ7BbrjIr5ysZaWlerW7jKGwqZ0%3D