“I really liked the coaching staff, and the family atmosphere they have, and the academics — and it’s close to home,” she said.
“It’s an up-and-coming program, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Austria became the fourth home-grown player in the last two years to commit to the Flyers, joining UD freshman Cassie Sant (Fairmont) and high school seniors Ally Malott (Middletown Madison) and Andrea Hoover (Spring Valley Academy).
Tamika Williams, Brandi Hoskins, Megan Duffy and Alison Bales are just a handful of area hoop stars who have shunned the Flyers for more renowned locales.
But eighth-year UD coach Jim Jabir is not only competing with the top schools for local talent, he’s starting to win most of the battles.
“I think for a lot of kids our academic reputation is very important. And the proximity — I think a lot of kids want to play in front of family and friends,” Jabir said. “But in the past, they didn’t value what we have enough to stay home. Now, we can say you’ll get a chance to play a national schedule, a chance to go to the NCAA tournament and a chance to win championships. That’s a reality.”
Jabir said other coaching staffs are still perplexed over how he landed Malott, a 6-3 mega-star. She’s one of the top 10 senior recruits in the nation, according to USA Today.
Hoover, while less known, also is considered a catch.
“People like Ally (as a player). They think she’s the biggest ‘get’ we’ve ever had,” Jabir said. “People who know Andrea Hoover think she’s a great player. Some people think she’s even better than Malott.”
Austria, who is averaging 13.5 points and five steals per game, had scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Ball State and Miami and was being recruited by West Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan State. Jim Dabbelt of The Dabbelt Report called her one of the top shooting guard prospects in Ohio.
“I told the coaches you can’t lose with her,” Carroll coach Rob Berry said. “It’s almost a sure thing with her because of her defensive ability. She’s going to play as hard at both ends of the floor as anybody.
“I’ve seen Dayton play a number of times, and she’s going to fit in well there.”
Berry lauded Jabir for making UD a desirable destination for local prospects.
“They’ve really recruited well and have gotten the best players out of the area in the last two years,” Berry said. “That will help UD for years to come.”
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125
or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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