A veteran of the Southland Conference ranks, Bob Austin is in his first season with the Southeastern Louisiana women’s basketball program as an assistant coach.
Austin, who spent the past three seasons on the women’s basketball staff at the Lady Lions’ Southland East Division rival Northwestern State, will work with the team’s post players. He will also be heavily involved with the program’s recruiting efforts and scouting.
In his three seasons on former NSU coach Jennifer Graf’s staff in Natchitoches, Austin helped the Lady Demons to two appearances in the Southland Conference Tournament and coached four All-Southland performers.
Austin served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and ran all aspects of Northwestern State’s three summer camps. He also was the program’s community liaison, directing the team’s 300-plus hours of community service each year with a variety of events.
Prior to joining Graf’s staff, Austin worked under Northwestern State men’s basketball coach Mike McConathy for four seasons, serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons before joining the staff full-time for his final two seasons.
In his first season with the Demons, Northwestern State won the Southland Conference with a 26-8 record and pulled off a dramatic upset of Iowa in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. NSU also pulled off road wins at Oklahoma State and Mississippi State during that campaign. In the latter win, Austin was responsible for the scouting report in a 76-75 comeback victory over the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Austin started his coaching career at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo., where he was an assistant for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. That year the men’s team posted a 21-9 record, while the women finished 19-8.
Prior to entering coaching, Austin played two seasons at Alaska-Anchorage. As a senior, he was voted the team’s Most Inspirational Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He helped his team advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
A 2004 graduate of Alaska-Anchorage, Austin earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He completed his graduate studies in 2007, receiving a master’s degree in sports administration from Northwestern State. He and his wife, Kalie, reside in Hammond.
