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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

D.J. Augustin might lack the size teams want in an NBA point guard. But his standing reach, elevation and outstanding quickness more than compensate for that deficiency.

No point guard in this draft possesses the shooting ability and deft ball-handling skills Augustin possesses. He is an outstanding ball-handler whose ability as a passer rivals that of some of the greats to play the game, drawing comparisons to former Pistons standout Isiah Thomas and Phoenix Suns standout Steve Nash.

The All-American and All-Big Twelve Conference selection was a model of consistency for the Longhorns, having started all 73 games he played. Despite suiting up for only two seasons, he etched his name in the school record books, ranking fifth all-time with 452 assists, 18th in scoring with 1,234 points, fourth with a 3-point percentage of 40.2 and ninth with an 80.8 free-throw percentage.

Augustin spent his first three seasons at Brother Martin High School before Hurricane Katrina forced him and his family to move to Texas from New Orleans. He led the team to back-to-back Louisiana Class 5A state titles as a sophomore and junior, earning MVP honors during both state tournaments. As a junior, he averaged 21.2 points and 5.3 assists per contest while pacing the team to a 39-2 record. He was named the New Orleans Times-Picayune Player of the Year after that stellar performance.

Augustin enrolled at Fort Bend Hightower High School in Sugar Land, Texas for his senior year, but returned to Brother Martin High for his graduation. The McDonald's and Parade All-American was rated the 29th-best player in the country by Scout.com. He was the District 20-5A Most Valuable Player and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 5A All-State pick, as he averaged 19 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 steals per game while leading Hightower to the 5A Region III quarterfinals.

In summer league competition, Augustin played alongside fellow University of Texas recruit Damion James on the USA Red Team, which earned the bronze medal at the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival in San Diego. He posted seven points and three assists while playing alongside Texas recruit Kevin Durant for the victorious West team in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game in San Diego.

Augustin also registered 15 points, four assists and three steals in the 2006 Adidas Derby Festival All-Star Classic in Louisville. In '07, he was one of 10 collegiate point guards selected to participate in the first-ever Steve Nash Skills Academy, a three-day camp emphasizing skill development and individual improvement held in June at Kean University (Union, N.J.).

Augustin had an outstanding freshman at Texas in 2006-07. A member of The Sporting News' Freshman All-American team, he added All-Big Twelve second-team and league All-Freshman first-team honors. The four-time Big Twelve Rookie of the Week pick led the league and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 6.7 assists per game.

Augustin finished third on the squad with a 14.4-point scoring average, as he hit 45 percent from the floor, including 45-of-102 (.441) 3-pointers, and 84 percent from the line on the season. For the year, he posted 233 assists vs. 115 turnovers (2.03-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). He also registered 53 steals.

As a sophomore, Augustin garnered All-American and Academic All-American honors. The All-Big Twelve Conference choice won the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. He was also a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA National Player of the Year) and was a candidate for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.

In 2007-08, Augustin led the conference in assists (219) and ranked second in scoring (19.2 points per game). He shot 43.9 percent from the field, making 74-of-194 3-pointers (38.1 percent). He shot 78.3 percent from the charity stripe and averaged 2.9 rebounds per game. He also produced 47 steals, scoring double figures in 34-of-38 games.

After the season, Augustin declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft. The fifth player in UT history to earn consensus first-team All-American honors, Augustin said, "I have had a great experience here at The University of Texas. All I can say is thank you to my teammates, coaching staff and fans that have supported us during my two years at Texas. I have matured a lot as a person, both on and off the court. I have dreamed of playing in the NBA since I was a little boy, and I am ready to start living this dream."

ANALYSIS

Positives: One of the shortest point guards in this draft, he compensates for that lack of height with an impressive standing reach (7'10 1/2") and vertical leap (35 inches) ... Shows ease of movement getting up and down the court and the second gear to split double teams and get into the lane suddenly ... Shows very good timing and elevation crashing the boards for the rebound (99 rebounds as a freshman and 112 last year, averaging 2.9 per game) ... Does a nice job of drawing contact when driving into the lane, as he has the good elbow bend and quick release to connect at a high percentage when sent to the charity stripe (80.8 percent free-throw shooter)...Can play long stretches on the court without needing a breather (averaged 36.5 minutes per game) ... Has no fear of bigger opponents, fighting through traffic to finish with touch at the rim ... Makes quick decisions with the ball in his hands and is very effective distributing the ball in transition ... Slippery moving through the crowd, knowing how to play off the ball to execute his spot-up jumper ... Despite his youth, he plays the game like a grizzled veteran, as he is always in control of the team's offensive scheme and is very patient, rarely forcing his passes into tight areas or taking questionable shots (great ball distributor) ... Showed as a sophomore that he has enough scoring touch to be a featured aspect in a team's offense (took a backseat to Kevin Durant as a freshman, but regularly had his number called on clutch plays as a sophomore) ... Type of athlete who can play in the shadows in a supporting role, or carry the offense for long stretches ... Even though his scoring statistics greatly improved from his freshman year, he is still a very selective shooter, making 44.3 percent of his attempts during his two seasons ... Has above-average change-of-direction agility and is very effective on crossovers with his ability to consistently separate ... If a lethargic defender gives him space to create his shot, he can easily pull up off the dribble and drill 3-pointers ... Very good at setting the pace of the game and knows how to push the ball forward leading the fast break or slow down the action for the half-court game, where he excels getting the ball to a bigger man with his post entry passes or getting the ball distributed to others in transition, where he has the arm strength to deliver those long passes right on target ... With his leaping ability and reach, he is very effective at finishing at the rim vs. bigger opponents ... For a point guard, he is a bit of a rarity with his long-range shooting ability (only point guard to make more than 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in this class) ... Is quick to capitalize on defensive spacing, as he can smoothly pull up off the dribble and flip in a perimeter shot ... Explosive coming off screens and always seems to find the soft spot on the court to put up his shot ... Does a nice job when scanning the court, looking to dish and drive ... Knows how to apply pressure on his man when playing the trap defense ... With his explosiveness coming off the dribble, he is very effective executing the pick-and-roll and is sudden driving to the rim ... Very good at getting into position for the outlet pass ... Classic point guard with a playmaker's mentality, as he patterns his style of play after Steve Nash (Phoenix), showing good ball security and handling skills, as he keeps the ball low to the ground with a tight, hard dribble ... Has confidence in his passing skills to get the ball out to the open man when the defense rotates on him in attempts to steal his pass ... Can execute the no-look passes with no problems, as he has court vision that would rival any point guard in the league ... Very alert to the defensive rotation, needing just a little bit of space to execute his entry passes or take the ball to the rim ... Has the natural ball movement and skills to shoot and dribble with either hand, keeping the ball low to the floor while doing a fine job of varying his speed getting into the lane ... Capable outside shooter with the ability to hoist up from NBA caliber 3-point range ... Has the court speed to take his man off the dribble and is very quick slashing to the basket, doing a good job of forcing the defense to commit too early with his crossover action, head and shoulder fakes ... Shows a very quick release and has the lateral agility to step back and avoid defenders going for the layup.

Negatives: Has a small frame and might struggle against bigger guards at the next level ... Has a toned physique, but needs to drastically increase his strength base (bench pressed 185 pounds twice) ... By becoming the focus of the team's offense, he received more touches, but that also resulted in games during which he showed poor shot selection and tried to do too much in carrying the offensive load ... Good ball-handler, but does invite the quick guards to force a turnover by keeping the ball on the floor too long ... Has good leaping ability, but his second jump is not really that effective, as he does not always elevate well in traffic, despite good rebound numbers for a player his size ... Showed good development of his mid-range shooting ability as a sophomore, but still prefers to drive to the basket or park himself along the perimeter, lacking a consistent in-between game ... Generally a steady shooter but can be streaky ... Can be too unselfish at times and pass up on a clear shot ... More of a pest on defense, as he does a good job of disrupting, but relies more on his lateral agility to stay with his man, as he lacks the strength to face up and hold his ground vs. an oncoming shooter.

Compares To: ISIAH THOMAS-ex-Detroit ... Thomas was one of the finer scoring passers to ever play the point in the NBA and Augustin has the same qualities. Augustin's offensive game is very similar to that of Steve Nash, but he is not as generous distributing the ball as Nash. Augustin is a good student of the game with great court vision and a feel for finding the open man. He is capable of handling the ball or shooting with either hand and has a very quick release. He is a tough cookie, despite his obvious big weakness of minimal height by NBA standards. Augustin does a good job of drawing contact on the way to the rim to get to the charity stripe, where he has hit at an 80.8 percent clip. He shows desire to play on the defensive end and has surprisingly good rebounding skills for a point guard. He sometimes tries to do too much when the rest of the offense struggles, putting up ill-advised shots, especially from the perimeter, but is generally an unselfish player. Few "little men" have had great success in the modern NBA game, but we're betting that Augustin will be an exception to that rule.

CAREER NOTES

Augustin became the 29th player in Texas history to score 1,000 career points (1,234), averaging 16.9 points per game while starting all 73 games he played in ... Made 396-of-894 field goals (44.3 percent) ... His free-throw percentage of .808 (323-of-400) rank ninth in school history ... His 3-point success percentage of .402 (119-of-296) rank fourth in Texas annals, topped by Joey Wright (41.47 percent, 1989-91), Brian Boddicker (40.36 percent, 2001-04) and Kevin Durant (40.4 percent, 2006-07) ... Augustin's 452 assists rank fourth on the school record list behind leader T.J. Ford (527, 2001-03) ... Scored 731 points in 2007-08, the second-best season total by a Longhorn in Big Twelve competition (Kevin Durant scored 903 points in 2006-07), ranking seventh on the conference record chart ... His 233 assists in 2006-07 rank 10th on the Big Twelve annual record books and were the third-highest total by a league freshman, topped by T.J. Ford of Texas (273 in 2001-02) and Aaron Miles of Kansas (252, 2001-02) ... That total also ranks third on the school record list behind Ford's 273 in 2001-02 and 254 in 2002-03 ... His average of 6.2 assists per game tied Jacque Vaughn of Kansas (1993-97) sixth on the Big Twelve Conference career-record list and placed second on the school annual record chart behind D.J. Ford (8.0 assists per game, 2001-03) ... Augustin's 13 assists vs. Kansas (3/03/07) set a Big Twelve Conference game record for freshmen.

2007-08 SEASON

First-team All-American selection by The NBA Draft Report, Associated Press, College Hoops, John Wooden Award and the United States Basketball Writers Association ... Became the 15th player in NCAA history to earn consensus first-team All-American and Academic All-American accolades in the same season ... Recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's premier point guard ... Finalist for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy ... All-Big Twelve Conference and NABC All-District IX first-team pick ... Added Stub Hub Legends Classic MVP honors and was twice selected Phillips 66 Big Twelve Player of the Week (12/10 and 1/07) ... Led the league with 219 assists (5.8 per game) and finished second in scoring with 731 points (19.2 per game) ... Hit on 242-of-551 field goals (43.9 percent), 74-of-194 3-pointers (38.1 percent) and 173-of-221 free throws (78.3 percent) ... Grabbed 112 rebounds (2.9 per game) and had 47 steals (1.2 per game) ... Started all 38 games, scoring in double figures 34 times ... Produced four contests with at least 10 assists...Led the conference in assists (5.8 per game) and ranked second in the league in scoring (19.2 per game).

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Opened the season with 19 points vs. Texas-San Antonio and registered a season-high 11 assists with 10 points vs. Cal-Davis ... Had 25 points and secured a double-double with 10 assists vs. New Mexico State, as he also matched his career high in steals with four ... Had 23 points (7-of-14 FG, 4-of-8 threes, 5-of-6 FT) and eight assists in the Stub Hub! Legends Classic Championship Game win over Tennessee ... Had a third consecutive 20-point game with 20 points (7-of-11 FG, 4-of-6 threes) and four steals vs. Texas Southern ... Led the team with 19 points (8-of-15 FG) in a road victory UCLA ... Produced his third double-double with 29 points (9-of-14) and 10 assists and set a career high in made free throws (11-of-12) vs. North Texas ... Scored 24 points (8-of-16 FG, 8-of-12 FT) vs. Texas State ... Matched his career high in made free throws (11-of-12) as part of 24 points and five rebounds vs. Oral Roberts ... Registered 22 points (3-of-7 threes) and six assists without a turnover vs. Michigan State ... Added 16 points and nine assists vs. Wisconsin ... Recorded a season-high 30 points (11-of-22 FG, 7-of-7 FT) with four assists and one turnover vs. Saint Mary's ... Totaled 25 points (8-of-16 FG), five rebounds and five assists with one turnover vs. Colorado ... Posted 26 points (7-of-16 FG, 9-10 FT) at Oklahoma State (1/21) ... Had seven assists and one turnover vs. Baylor (2/02) ... Followed with seven assists along with 19 points and a season-high six rebounds at Oklahoma (2/06) ... Dished out 10 assists with only two turnovers and pulled down six rebounds at Baylor (2/16) ... Led the team with 27 points (9-of-14 FG, 3-of-5 threes, 6-of-7 FT) and nine assists vs. Texas A&M...Scored 19 points (8-of-14 FG) vs. Oklahoma (2/23) ... Posted 24 points (9-of-19 FG) and five assists and equaled his career high with four steals at Kansas State ... Registered the third 30-point game of his career on a career-high 13 FG at Texas Tech ... Recorded 22 points (9- of-16 FG, 4-of-7 threes) and five assists vs. Nebraska ... Tallied 20 points (6-of-14 FG, 2-of-5 threes, 6-of-7 FT vs. Oklahoma State (3/09), followed by 24 points and four boards vs. OSU the next game (3/14) ... Hit on 6-of-10 FG for 17 points, dishing out four assists with three rebounds vs. Oklahoma (3/15) ... Poured in 20 points while handing out nine assists vs. Kansas in the Big Twelve Tournament ... In the NCAA Tournament, Augustin scored 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, as he had seven assists and five rebounds vs. Stanford ... Closed out his career with 16 points (4-of-18 FG) and three assists in an 85-67 loss to Memphis.

2006-07 SEASON

Consensus Freshman All-American, adding third-team All-American (overall) accolades from The NBA Draft Report and honorable mention from the Associated Press ... All-Big Twelve Conference second-team, adding Freshman All-Big Twelve first-team honors, in addition to being chosen to the NABC All-District IX and USBWA All-District VII squad ... One of seven Longhorns to earn a spot on the Spring 2007 Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll (minimum 3.0 GPA) ... Two-time Dick Vitale's Co-Diaper Dandy of the Week pick (12/11 and 2/12) ... Four-time league Rookie of the Week choice (12/11, 1/22, 2/12, 3/05) ... Shared team MVP honors with fellow freshman, Kevin Durant ... Led the league and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 6.7 rebounds per game (233) ... Had 99 rebounds (2.8 per game) and 53 steals (1.5 per game) ... Shot 44.9 percent from the field (154-of-343) and 83.8 percent from the foul line (150-of-179) ... Made 45-of-102 3-point attempts (44.1 percent), as he was the only point guard in the nation to shoot more than 40 percent from 3-point range ... Had at least six assists in 23 of the 35 games he started ... Improved his numbers from non-conference to Big Twelve play, recording a 2.23 assist-to-turnover ratio (118 assists vs. just 53 turnovers) in league games...Registered five double-digit assist games...Reached double figures in scoring in 22 of the last 28 games, including seven 20-point performances.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Recorded a game-high 25 points (9-of-16 FG, 7-of-7 FT) to go along with six rebounds and five assists in the win vs. Louisiana State ... Added 20 points and a career-best 13 assists in the overtime loss at Tennessee, as his 13 assists are tied for the second-highest total by a freshman in UT history...Tallied 25 points while converting 5-of-6 three-pointers in the loss at Villanova ... In a three-game stretch from 1/24-to 1/31/07, he recorded 32 assists vs. just eight turnovers ... Had 10 assists vs. two turnovers in the win at Nebraska ... Had 11 assists vs. just one turnover in the home win vs. Baylor ... Tallied 11 assists to go along with 14 points in the victory at Texas Tech ... Registered 23 points (12-of-13 FT) and five assists in the loss at Texas A&M ... Had his best overall performance of the year in the home win vs. Iowa State, posting a career-high 31 points while hitting 9-of-13 field goals (3-of-5 threes) and 10-of-10 free throws ... Added six assists vs. just two turnovers and tied his career high in steals (four) vs. Iowa State, tying the UT single-game record for free throw percentage (min. 10 attempts) by hitting 10-of-10 from the stripe, becoming the 14th player at Texas to accomplish the feat since the 1960-61 season ... Posted 19 points and eight assists in the home win vs. Oklahoma State ... Tallied 16 points (5-of-10 FG, 3-of-5 threes) and six assists in 38 minutes vs. Texas Tech ... Notched 18 points (8-of-10 FT) and five assists in playing all 40 minutes at Oklahoma ... Matched his second-highest scoring performance of the season with 25 points (8-of-16 FG, 2-of-5 threes) to go along with seven assists and five rebounds in 48 minutes during the double-overtime win vs. Texas A&M ... Recorded his third double-double with 19 points (7-of-14 FG, 2-of-4 threes) and tied his career high with 13 assists while playing all 40 minutes at Kansas ... Posted a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (16-to-5) in three games at the Big Twelve Championship ... Added 15 points (6-of-7 FT) and six assists in 39 minutes vs. Oklahoma State in the semifinals of the league championship ... Registered 19 points (6-12 FG, 6-6 FT), seven assists and two steals in 40 minutes vs. New Mexico State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

INJURY REPORT

No injuries reported.

SUMMER BASKETBALL

Augustin played alongside fellow University of Texas recruit Damion James on the USA Red Team, which earned the bronze medal at the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival in San Diego ... Posted seven points and three assists while playing alongside Texas recruit Kevin Durant for the victorious West team in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game in San Diego ... Registered 15 points, four assists and three steals in the 2006 Adidas Derby Festival All-Star Classic in Louisville ... In 2007, he was one of ten collegiate point guards selected to participate in the first-ever Steve Nash Skills Academy, a three-day camp emphasizing skill development and individual improvement held during the last weekend in June at Kean University (Union, N.J.).

HIGH SCHOOL

Spent his first three seasons at Brother Martin (New Orleans, La.) High School before Hurricane Katrina forced him and his family to move to Texas ... Led the team to back-to-back Louisiana Class 5A state titles as a sophomore and junior, earning MVP honors during both state tournaments ... As a junior, he averaged 21.2 points and 5.3 assists per contest while pacing the team to a 39-2 record ... Named the New Orleans Times-Picayune Player of the Year after that stellar performance ... Enrolled at Fort Bend Hightower High School in Sugar Land, Texas for his senior year, but returned to Brother Martin High for his graduation ... The McDonald's and Parade All-American was rated the 29th-best player in the country by Scout.com ... District 20-5A Most Valuable Player and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 5A All-State pick, as he averaged 19 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 steals per game while leading Hightower to the 5A Region III quarterfinals.

PERSONAL

Business major, twice earning league academic honors, in addition to receiving Academic All-American recognition in 2008 ... Son of Vanessa and Darryl Augustin ... Parents gave him the name "D.J." at birth ... Born Darryl Gerard Augustin, Jr. on 11/10/87 in New Orleans, Louisiana.