Rashad Austin leaving

[BUBraves04]

WEEK-25 just reported that Rashad Austin will not be returning to Bradley in the fall. He wants to be closer to home in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Bradley will grant him his release immediately.

[bigdaddystuck]

Too bad. I thought he showed some promise. But I wish him well.

[PTownHawkeye]

WEEK-25 just reported that Rashad Austin will not be returning to Bradley in the fall. He wants to be closer to home in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Bradley will grant him his release immediately.

I am very disappointed to hear this news. I heard recently that he hadn't been with the team, but I did not see this coming. Rashad really seemed to come on at the end of the year and I would have expected him to step in at the 4 or 5 if Collins or AT didn't play well. I hope this really is a case a home-sickness and we can all leave it at that.

Best of luck Rashad!

[MikeCash]

If this happens...there goes my starting center. If nothing else I hope this accelerates the progress of Anthony Thompson.

[OrangeandBlack74]

WHOI-TV also reported Austin was leaving on its 10pm sports show

[Bradleyguy10]

Dang...I would've loved to see Austin play to his fullest potential here. He could've contributed a lot here.

Well lets hope we make the best out of this situation and see if we can get McGee in a Bradley uniform....

[houstontxbrave]

If he wants to leave that is his decision but he is passing up a degree from Bradley University to be closer to home in his senior year of college. Seems like a very short sighted decision. I would expect this from a freshman but from someone who has been away from home for 3 years why now do you get homesick?

Good luck Rashad.

[OrangeandBlack74]

I don't think Austin ever really figured out what his role was on the team, so he wasn't much of a contributor. He looked lost in the CBI after Collins starting getting more minutes. I was hoping this year would be different for him.

[houstontxbrave]

PJStar story.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1816441612/Reserve-forward-wont-return-to-Bradley

[BradleyBrave]

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, although I thought it would happen much earlier. I had heard through the grapevine in late May from someone VERY close to the program that 'Rashad left, and isn't coming back'. I guess it just took him a while to make up his mind. I was very high on him very early on, but he never really showed me that he had 'it'. I think the writing was clearly on the wall in the CBI when David Collins, and even Will Egolf to a degree, were getting PT over RA. From what I heard, his attitude was poor early on in the season, got better as he got more minutes, and soured again late as DC started getting time. Again, proof positive that my concerns of him taking so long to get to campus were indeed legitimate.

From what I hear, I don't think RA ever really meshed with his teammates on or off the court either. Unfortunately, TCS and RA's departure is continuing the trend of high turnover in the program, something that hopefully we can start to move away from with more 4 year guys. Regardless of whether or not TCS or RA figured much into our plans next year, I am tired of having 5-6 new guys every year. It's no way to build continuity. Fortunately, I think we are trending towards more 4 year guys with the additions of Thompson, Egolf, Maniscalco, McCain, Norris, and Brown. If we fill the 13th ride, hopefully it will be with another 4 year player.

Man...when is the last time we filled the 13th scholarship 3 times in one off-season?

[BUBraves06]

This doesn't really surprise me as it seemed like RA never really fit in. BB, I think you make a really good point about the turnover in the roster. I know it's likely that RA and TCS probably wouldn't have played a huge part in next year's team but I still don't like how our roster seems so unstable lately.

Edit: I know that there is turnover with every team's roster and I'm not ripping on the coaching staff but I would like to see more stability with our roster.

[amettrick]

It's a shame that yet another player is leaving, but like others I can't say that I'm too shocked. RA said prior to the season when asked about his role with the team that "as long as I"m playing I'll be happy." A statement that never really sat well with me and was probably part of the reason he was said to have a bit of a bat attitude early on. I suspect he didn't expect a lot of playing time this upcoming season and that probably contributed along with the homesick angle.

[Lakeview Brave]

He got here late and left early, never really joined the party. Lets get another player like T Brown to replace him.

I really hope that DC has greatly improved, Singh can stay healthy another full season and AT contributes on both ends.

[Big Mike]

Been hearing the rumor of an RA not returning for some time now........but if he does not want to be here than it is best for both sides to move on! Let's hope we can get something out of the last ride!

[Da Coach]

I don't see a reason for concern every time a player leaves. Especially a player who would not have played a very big part next year, IMO, unless it leaves the team shorthanded. As many have heard, this was not unexpected. Rashad is the only player who left after the spring semester and did not return for the summer without a legitimate reason. There was more to this than homesickness, and maybe RA wasn't suited to the academic and rigid structure of a Division I program. I also think his friend Tyrone Cole Scott leaving also played a part in his decision. Good luck to Rashad.