VITALS: 6-9, 260, junior, Mississippi State OVERVIEW: Austin is an early entry candidate who played three seasons at Mississippi State. Austin flirted with entering the draft out of high school before opting to play for the Bulldogs in the 2000-01 season. Austin averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds for Mississippi State last season and shot 53 percent from the floor. Austin missed the first six games last season due to eligibility problems before a spectacular 28-point, nine-rebound season debut in a victory over Xavier and All-American David West. Austin has been compared to former Mississippi State star Erick Dampier, currently with the Golden State Warriors. Austin played AAU basketball with current Sacramento King Gerald Wallace. Austin is a solid defender who drew a school-record 51 charges in his career. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Second round. Austin is a projected second-round pick but has a reasonable chance of being scooped up late in the first round because of his talent. Trouble is, this draft is deep at the 4-spot, so teams with that need have a number of options. Boston (16, 20), Chicago (36, 45), LA Lakers (24, 32), Memphis (27), Minnesota (26, 55), New Orleans (18, 48), New York (30, 39), Phoenix (17) and Utah (19, 47) all privately auditioned Austin. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Marcus Fizer, Wayman Tisdale, Carlos Boozer COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Tony Massenburg, Reggie Slater ROLE PROJECTION: Reserve POSITIVES: Austin has a strong, agile body. He is not the tallest guy in the world, but his height remains adequate. At Mississippi State, Austin showed sound technique with his back to the basket as well as a good mid-range jump shot by his junior year. Austin is one of the few players in this draft who is closing to filling out his potential. SHORTCOMINGS: Austin does everything well, but nothing spectacularly. That is a recipe for a good role player but not a starter. If Austin wants to be a star in the NBA, he will have to grow a couple of inches or add a dynamic face-up game. Neither is likely to occur. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "Mario Austin is a very broad player in the fact that he is wide across the shoulders, in the backside, and he's strong. He really knows how to operate inside and has a well-developed post game. He had one really eye-opening game in December in New York against David West, who has the look of a top-20 player, and got the better of him in that matchup." former Boston Celtics general manager Chris Wallace
