Mario Austin

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Mario Austin

| position = Power forward / center

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 264

| league =

| team =

| number =

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|2|26}}

| birth_place = Livingston, Alabama

| highschool = Sumter County (York, Alabama)

| college = Mississippi State (2000–2003)

| draft_year = 2003

| draft_round = 2

| draft_pick = 36

| draft_team = Chicago Bulls

| career_start = 2003

| career_end = 2015

| years1 = 2003

| team1 = CSKA Moscow

| years2 = 2004

| team2 = Jackson Rage

| years3 = 2004–2005

| team3 = Lauretana Biella

| years4 = 2005–2007

| team4 = Hapoel Jerusalem

| years5 = 2007–2008

| team5 = Benetton Treviso

| years6 = 2008

| team6 = Beşiktaş Cola Turka

| years7 = 2009

| team7 = Fujian Xunxing

| years8 = 2009–2010

| team8 = Meridiano Alicante

| years9 = 2010

| team9 = Atléticos de San Germán

| years10 = 2010–2011

| team10 = BC Dnipro

| years11 = 2011

| team11 = Titanes del Distrito Nacional

| years12 = 2011

| team12 = Shahrdari Gorgan

| years13 = 2011

| team13 = Kyiv

| years14 = 2012–2013

| team14 = Al Kuwait

| years15 = 2013–2014

| team15 = Kazma

| years16 = 2015

| team16 = KB Peja

| years17 = 2015

| team17 = Deportivo Valdivia

| highlights =

Israeli Cup winner (2007)
2× Israeli Super League Quintet (2006, 2007)
McDonald's All-American (2000)
Second-team Parade All-American (2000)

}}

Mario Trevon Austin (born February 26, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player.

College career

Austin played 3 seasons at Mississippi State under head coach Rick Stansbury. He is well known for hitting a clutch 3-point shot in the first 3-point attempt of his career at Mississippi State in a 2002 win over Kentucky.{{Cite web|url=http://www.forwhomthecowbelltolls.com/2015/1/5/7493691/today-in-msu-history-mario-austins-three|title=Today in MSU History: Mario Austin's Three|date=January 5, 2015|accessdate=January 5, 2015|website=ForWhomtheCowbellTolls.com|publisher=SBNation}} Austin was named second team All-SEC that season (2001–02).

Austin returned to the Bulldogs in 2002–03 and was named first team All-SEC. Austin declared for the 2003 NBA draft at the season, choosing not to return to Mississippi State for his senior year.

Professional career

After being drafted 36th overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Austin left to play overseas, starting his professional career with CSKA Moscow, but was released after an injury before playing an official game. Afterwards he signed with the Jackson Rage of the WBA where he spent the remainder of the season.

In 2004, he signed with Italian team Lauretana Biella and in 2005 he was with Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. who got sponsored by billionaire Arkadi Gaydamak shortly before, he quickly became one of the dominant players in the team and led it to the Uleb Cup semi-finals and to the Israeli League Finals

In the summer of 2007, he joined the Bulls for the 2007 NBA Summer League{{cite news|title=2015 Las Vegas Summer League Basketball|url=http://www.insidehoops.com/vegas-summer-league.shtml|accessdate=October 9, 2015|work=InsideHoops.com}} and later, he signed with Benetton Treviso.{{cite news|title=Mario Austin, biennale con la Benetton|url=http://195.56.77.208/news/?id=84076|accessdate=August 30, 2007|work=Legabasket.com|date=August 30, 2007|language=Italian|archive-date=September 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031248/http://195.56.77.208/news/?id=84076|url-status=dead}}

On July 18, 2008, Austin signed with Beşiktaş Cola Turka.{{cite news|title=Beşiktaş Pivotunu Buldu|url=http://www.bjk.com.tr/tr/haberler.php?h_no=12864|accessdate=July 18, 2008|work=BJK.com|date=July 18, 2008|language=Turkish|archive-date=July 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719113536/http://www.bjk.com.tr/tr/haberler.php?h_no=12864|url-status=dead}}

At the start of the 2009–10 season, Austin was signed by Meridiano Alicante, but was released on January 21, 2010.{{cite news|title=Mario Austin and Meridiano Alicante part ways|url=http://thehoopsmarket.blogspot.mx/2010/01/mario-austin-and-meridiano-alicante.html|accessdate=January 21, 2010|work=The Hoops Market|date=January 21, 2010}} On April 10, 2010, Austin was signed by the Atléticos de San Germán of the Puerto Rican league but was waived the next month.{{cite news|title=Atléticos de San Germán sign Ernest Brown to replace Mario Austin|url=http://thehoopsmarket.blogspot.mx/2010/05/atleticos-de-san-german-sign-ernest.html|accessdate=May 29, 2010|work=The Hoops Market|date=May 29, 2010}}

On August 13, 2010, Austin signed with Ukrainian club BC Dnipro.{{cite news|title=Steve Burtt and Mario Austin join Dnipro|url=https://www.eurobasket.com/VTB-United-League/basketball.aspx?NewsID=200207|accessdate=August 3, 2010|work=Eurobasket.com|date=August 3, 2010}} On April 2, 2011, the Bulls traded his draft rights to the Utah Jazz as part of the Carlos Boozer sign-and-trade.{{cite web|url=http://www.shamsports.com/2011/04/an-unnecessarily-exhaustive-guide-to_2.html|title=An Unnecessarily Exhaustive Guide To The NBA Prospects Of The Unsigned NBA Draft Picks|date=April 2, 2011|work=shamsports.com|accessdate=February 4, 2015}}

On October 31, 2011, Austin signed with BC Kyiv.{{cite news|title=BC Kyiv announces Mario Austin|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/ukraine/88811/bc-kyiv-announces-mario-austin.html|accessdate=October 9, 2015|work=Sportando.com|date=October 31, 2011}}

On November 3, 2012, Austin signed with Al Kuwait.{{cite web|title=Mario Austin signs with Al Kuwait|url=http://www.court-side.com/news/blog/mario-austin-signs-with-al-kuwait/|publisher=Court-Side.com|date=November 3, 2012|accessdate=May 18, 2013}} On November 9, 2013, he signed with Kuwaiti club Kazma.{{cite web|title=Mario Austin firma in Kuwait|url=http://www.basketnet.it/archivio-news/item/3314-Mario%20Austin%20firma%20in%20Kuwait.html|publisher=BasketNet.it|date=November 9, 2013|accessdate=October 9, 2015}}

On February 3, 2015, Austin signed with KB Peja of the Siguria Superleague{{cite news|title=Mario Austin (ex Kazma) signs at Peja|url=http://www.asia-basket.com/Kuwait/news/393211/Mario-Austin-%28ex-Kazma%29-signs-at-Peja|accessdate=February 3, 2015|work=Asia-Basket.com|date=February 3, 2015}} and on October 9, Austin signed with Deportivo Valdivia of the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile (LNB).{{cite news|title=Mario Austin deals with Valdivia|url=http://www.court-side.com/news/blog/mario-austin-deals-with-valdivia/|accessdate=October 9, 2015|work=Court-Side.com|date=October 9, 2015}} On November 14, he was waived by Deportivo Valdivia.{{cite web|url=http://www.deportivovaldivia.cl/index.php/noticias/63-durrell-summers-se-integra-al-cdv|title=Durrell Summers se integra al CDV|work=DeportivoValdivia.cl|date=November 13, 2015|accessdate=November 15, 2015|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023410/http://www.deportivovaldivia.cl/index.php/noticias/63-durrell-summers-se-integra-al-cdv|archive-date=November 17, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.economiaynegocios.cl/noticias/noticias.asp?id=201120|title=Una semana más de espera para la LNB|work=EconomiaYNegocios.cl|date=November 14, 2015|accessdate=November 15, 2015|language=Spanish}}

Throughout his 12 years of professional basketball, Austin never played in an NBA game. Making him 1 of 11 players from the 2003 NBA Draft Class to never play in the league.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054300/http://www.acb.com/jugador.php?id=BHB Profile] at acb.com
[http://web.legabasket.it/player/?id=AUS-MAR-82 Profile] at legabasket.it

Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Chile

Category:American expatriate basketball people in China

Category:American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Iran

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Israel

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Kosovo

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Russia

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Spain

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Turkey