Austin to transfer out of UNI

CEDAR FALLS — The Northern Iowa men's basketball team suffered two losses this weekend — though just one came on the court.

Monday morning, Coach Ben Jacobson met with guard Aarias Austin. The DMACC transfer asked for and was granted his release from the program, just nine games into his time with the Panthers.

'Aarias Austin came in just (Monday) morning and has decided to ask for his release, and we have granted him his release to transfer to another school,' Jacobson said. 'It's not news you ever want to get from one of your guys. He came in and worked hard this summer, worked really hard this fall and did all the things we asked him to do. He made some good progress.'

Jacobson called the meeting amicable and said the pair had a good conversation about playing time and what Austin wanted out of his time as a college basketball player. The eagerness to find time on the floor — Austin played just one minute at New Mexico on Saturday night — was his ultimate desire, and Jacobson understood that.

'His only reason for wanting to move on to another school was being in a situation where he was going to play more,' Jacobson said. 'With our roster — Wes (Washpun), Bo (Matt Bohannon), Jeremy (Morgan) and Paul (Jesperson) — he was going to have to earn some minutes when he came in. He wants to be in a spot where he can be a starter and play significant minutes and have a different role. I understand that. We're leaving on good terms.

'Really a nice young guy. We wish him well and we'll miss him here.'

Austin's exit leaves UNI down a guard, but Jacobson said Monday at his weekly press luncheon that there will be no changes to the red-shirt situation — specifically with Spencer Haldeman, a guard Jacobson has high hopes for and who has shown tremendous potential.

Austin — who was arrested over the summer for OWI and possession of a controlled substance, had contributions this season that were not insignificant — so there is a decent likelihood reserve guard Robert Knar will see more minutes than he might have with Austin on the roster.

'I thought about it briefly after Aarias and I talked, but my answer is no,' Jacobson said of pulling any red-shirts. 'We're into game No. 10. We're all the way through, with the exception of Iowa State and our tournament, we're through our entire non-conference.

'We'll go with the guys we've got.'

The Panthers (6-3) will go forward with a nine-player rotation, which increases the need for top contributors to perform consistently. The lack of depth will be a factor though, there's no doubting that, Jacobson said.

'My guess is it will prove to be a challenge going forward,' Jacobson said. 'Numbers are what they are right now. We had 10, now we have nine. I haven't had a lot of time to process all of it yet, but it just means the eight guys — and in particular the four guys who weren't playing as many minutes — are going to have to do more. There may be some different combinations we haven't seen yet.'

Jacobson said it's likely everyone will see new rotations and new combinations of players on the court. What exactly will take shape is to be determined, with plenty of thinking to be done.

With No. 2 Iowa State on the horizon Saturday in the Big Four Classic, the Diamond Head Classic following that and then Missouri Valley Conference play, guys will need to step up quickly.

'Again, I haven't had a ton of time to go through it, but Ted and Ben on the floor together and having Paul as the small forward if Jeremy is in foul trouble (is an option),' Jacobson said. 'Those things are all in play now. As we've seen, the five guys that are back from last year have played well, and we know how good they are. Ben, Klint and Ted have all had their moments. Now they're going to get more minutes, and the more guys play, the faster they get better.'

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