Nick King, Brandon Austin Will Transfer from Alabama Men’s Basketball Program
Alabama sophomore guard Brandon Austin and redshirt junior guard/forward Nick King both announced their intentions to transfer from the men’s basketball program, Crimson Tide head coach Avery Johnson announced on Friday.
Austin, who played in six games during the 2016-17 campaign, saw action in 36 career games while at The Capstone. The Montgomery, Ala., native averaged 1.4 points and 8.7 minutes per game during his two-year career.
“I would like to thank all of the Alabama fans who supported me the past two seasons,” Austin said. “I would also like to thank our coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play, as well as my teammates. I felt like it was in my best interest to move on and play elsewhere.”
“Brandon and I met on Wednesday and he informed me of his plans to transfer to another school,” Johnson said. “He talked about the experience he had at the University of Alabama and what a privilege it was to work with our staff and playing alongside his teammates. After talking it over with his family, he felt it was in his best interest to pursue his education and basketball career at another school. We enjoyed working with Brandon. He is a person of great character, is very coachable and he has the desire to continue to get better. He will be an asset at whatever school he decides to go and we wish him and his family all the best.”
King, who is set to graduate this May with an undergraduate degree in business management, played in only seven games during the 2016-17 campaign. The Memphis, Tenn., native averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per contest in his lone season with the Crimson Tide and will be immediately eligible to suit up for a team next season as a graduate transfer, per NCAA transfer rules.
“I want to take thank the University of Alabama for helping complete my goals of becoming a better player and also a better person,” King said. “The university took a kid leaving his hometown for the first time and taught me ways on to handle myself as a young adult. I want to give a special thanks to the men's basketball staff who put in extra time to work on my physical and mental strengths. I felt like I made a great decision by coming here. I've become a much better player since I've stepped foot on campus and I have made a decision I thought was best for my future as a graduating senior.”
“After meeting with Nick on Wednesday, he informed me that after graduation he intends to transfer as a postgraduate player,” Johnson said. “This is a similar situation to Michael Kessens last season and we hope Nick’s transfer will be as smooth and successful. Nick sat out a season in our redshirt program and he significantly improved on and off the floor. This past year, his season was unfortunately cut short due to a health situation. We really enjoyed working with Nick and getting to know his family. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”