Duke University
Austin Rivers averaged 15.5 points, 2.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and one steal per game in his “one and done” year at Duke before declaring himself for the 2012 NBA Draft.
Often is the case, top high school recruits in the country are somewhat diluted in the sea of college basketball talent, with them going from the clear-cut best player on the team, to potentially a lower level role player, but Austin’s 34 games at Duke were a real spectacle.
His athleticism and jaw dropping speed allowed him to get to the rim on-demand, with the help of an army of Plumlee brothers setting screens, Austin built up quite the highlight reel of dunks and impossibly acrobatic layups, finishing with both hands.
Although Rivers was lighting up the scoreboard on a nightly basis, he continually developed on the defensive end of the floor, becoming a real pest for opposing guards and really showcased his ability to step up to the challenge of covering guys three-four inches taller than him.
Rivers’ offense was always the strongest part of his game in college, scoring double-digits in 30 of his 34 games at Duke, with a career-high 29 points coming against bitter rivals North Carolina in THAT game.
February 8th, 2012. Chapel Hill – UNC with a 10-point lead, 2:15 left in the game. Tyler Thornton mounts a comeback, followed by consecutive Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly buckets.
Even now as I’m typing this I can remember every little detail so vividly. Five seconds to go, UNC up 82-84. Mason Plumlee sets the screen on former Clipper Reggie Bullock and switches Tyler Zeller onto Austin with two seconds left. Then, from about a foot beyond the three-point line, Austin rises up with a hand in his face and lets it fly.
The biggest moment of his career, the defining shot. 92 years of the Duke – North Carolina rivalry.
It says a lot about a (19-year-old) player who not only has the ability to drill a contested game-winning three in the home arena of the team’s biggest rival, but actually having the confidence to be “the guy” who puts all of the responsibility of the team and the history of the school on his shoulders.
Clippers fans know exactly how much passion and fight Austin has when it’s all on the line, but we’ll get to that in a minute.