One-on-One with Mario Austin

Posted: May 27, 2003

Mississippi State power forward Mario Austin, an early entry candidate for the 2003 NBA Draft, participated in a private pre-draft workout at America West Arena on Tuesday. The Associated Press named the 6-9, 260-pound Bulldog an Honorable Mention All-America after he averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior.

Following the practice, Austin spoke with Suns.com about declaring early for the draft and about his potent inside game.

Suns.com: How was your workout today?

Mario Austin: I think it went pretty good. It’s not my first one. I was coming in off of three workouts. You know what you have to do as a player and that’s come out and work hard. I did a great job of doing that.

Suns.com: Who else have you worked out for?

Austin: I’ve worked out for Memphis Grizzlies, Boston and the Lakers.

Suns.com: Was today’s workout that much different than the others?

Austin: All the testing drills are the same, but the basketball stuff is different. You learn something everywhere you go.

Suns.com: Could you describe your game?

Austin: I’ve come a long way in my game since the season ended. I played in college with my back to the basket and I’ve been working on my perimeter game, and getting better from the outside. It’s coming along great.

Suns.com: Is there a player in the NBA that you would compare your game to?

Austin: (Detroit forward) Corliss Williamson. I really like the way he plays. I’ve been watching him a lot in college. He’s a real hard player.

Suns.com: What are your impressions of the Suns?

Austin: I’ve watched Phoenix a lot this year. They’ve got a lot of younger guys and a lot of older guys. I like the younger guys like Amaré Stoudemire. He’s a great player. He played great the whole season for Phoenix. I think a lot of the older guys played great, too. (Stephon) Marbury and all those guys played great. If I can get here it would be a great fit for me, because I would get a chance to learn around the guys who have been here and learn from the older guys.

Suns.com: Do you have a feeling of where you’ll get drafted?

Austin: I was told I would go mid-first round. (My agents) tell me to keep working hard and continue to do great, and I could easily move up. I’m just coming into every workout with the mindset of playing hard every time.

Suns.com: Last year you declared for the draft, but later opted to stay in school for one more year, right?

Austin: I did that. I was told I needed to go back to school and that would be the best thing. I wasn’t prepared the way I should have been last year so I was told to go back to school and work on some things, and get better. We’ll see after that.