Five-Star Isaiah Austin chooses the Bears
Make it another five-star big man for Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears men's basketball team.
Seven-foot center Isaiah Austin, the No. 2 recruit nationally in the Class of 2012, committed to Baylor on Monday night.
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Austin, who will be a junior at Arlington Grace Prep, announced his decision at the Adidas Nations in Chicago, prior to the 2012 Team USA team played the 2011 team.
Austin's commitment gives Baylor another one of the top young big men in the country. Duncanville's Perry Jones, the No. 3 recruit nationally in 2010, will be a freshman for the Bears this season.
"It's Baylor," Austin told Rivals.com after the announcement. "It's close to home, it's a good school and a great fit. My family and I talked about it and decided that it was time to get it done."
Austin, who made his decision known with his family standing behind and with a national television audience looking on, said going to college close to his family's home in Burleson played a big part in his decision.
"I promised my mom that she'd always be able to watch me play basketball as long as I'm here, so if she's happy, I'm happy," Austin said.
"My family is everything to me," Austin said. "They are No. 1 in my life. They're my No. 1 priority. They are everything to me."
Austin also said he wants to be a part of a Baylor program that is quickly becoming one of the elite programs in the country.
"They're going to go far this year," Austin said. "They have to. They're going to be ranked Top 5 in the nation this year. Perry Jones, I talk to him a lot, and he expects a lot out of his team this year."
Austin's high school coach, Ray Forsett, said finding coaches he trusted was the biggest part of his decision.
"We always told him, find a place where you can trust the coaches," Forsett said. "Isaiah trusts coach (Paul) Mills, coach Drew, coach (Jerome) Tang."
Austin is an immensely talented big man with small forward skills. He can handle the ball, block shots, he has a nice left- and right-hand hook shot and he can shoot the 3-pointer.
At 210 pounds, the weight room appears to be the main place Austin needs to do his work.
"Once he gets stronger, it's going to be tough," Forsett said.