BOCA RATON, Fla. – Isaiah Austin never wanted to become a coach. And now, he sees it as his calling.
The former Baylor center — whose plans to play in the NBA were dashed when he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in 2014 — was introduced Friday as an assistant coach on new coach John Jakus’ staff at Florida Atlantic.
It’s the first real training opportunity for the 7-foot-2 Austin, who has spent the last few years working for the NBA rather than playing in the league. He has had a long relationship with Jakus dating back to his time at Baylor and couldn’t say no when he was asked to join this team.
“I have a passion for giving and not receiving,” Austin said. “And this will give me the opportunity to give back to the game what it gave me. It’s like a silver lining to my life right now.”
Austin is the third assistant hired by FAU to work with Jakus, who was hired last month to replace Dusty May – who left the Owls after six years to go to Michigan. Todd Abernethy was hired and is back for season six, and Jordan Fee was hired earlier this week. Fee was 32-3 this season at Gannon and returns to South Florida after a seven-season run at Division II Nova Southeastern, located just a few miles south of FAU.
Like Austin, Fee said Jakus made it impossible to turn down the offer.
“Coach Jakus is one of the best human beings I know and is a phenomenal basketball coach,” Fee said.
And in turn, Jakus feels the same way about Austin, who has a history of overcoming challenges. He played college ball despite being blind in his right eye — a slam dunk when a high school student injured that eye, and multiple operations failed to repair the detached retina and save his vision. He finally returned to the court after Marfan’s diagnosis prevented him from being drafted by an NBA team.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver tapped Austin himself to work for the league. Austin – who was cleared to play again in 2016 – actually accepted this after he retired from international play. He still plays in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league and plans to continue this year.
“It was an honor for me to be with him as a player when I was on the Baylor staff,” Jakus said. “He was chosen in the lottery, but for health reasons he didn’t work out. Through this process, he became more than a player to me. One of the most important people in my career. He has spent the last few years working with Adam Silver and the NBA. It is a great honor for him to join our team.”
Austin is still in shape, which could come in handy if any Owls want to test their skills against a guy who should be in the NBA making millions. He’s not resentful about how things turned out, saying he relied on his faith, his wife and family to get him through difficult times.
Jakus also played a big role in that, Austin said.
“He’s been a man who’s always been there for me,” Austin said. “Ups and downs. It doesn’t matter. It’s not basketball. He cares about me as a human and as a man. He always encourages me to be a great husband, to be a great father, to be a great friend, a great son. So, It was an emotional day when he called me to ask me to come join him here.”
