Austin Croshere, a 6-9 standout from Crossroads School in California, had an impressive career with the Friars that included a BIG EAST title (1994) and a trip to the Elite Eight (1997).  Croshere gave notice of his potential in the Big East Tournament as a sophomore, and then established himself as a Third Team All-Big East player as a junior and a First Team player as a senior. An excellent free throw shooter, he set a league and school record with 57 freebies in a row, and sparked PC to an NCAA Elite Eight run as a senior, scoring a career-high 39 points against Marquette in the first round. A member of the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame, he ranks 15^thall-time in scoring for the Friars with 1,523 points.  Austin was a lottery pick in 1997, and played 10 seasons in the NBA, one with Dallas after nine seasons with Indiana.
 
1)   Austin can you bring the fans up to date where you have been working recently?
 
Reading that question reminds me of the fact that I graduated from Providence 23 years ago...Wow! Current graduates of PC were not even born in '97 when I graduated!!! I retired from basketball in 2009 and have been working in broadcasting, consistently, since. I have worked for ESPN, Fox, the Indiana Pacers and most recently with Westwood One radio. This year, I finished my first year coaching high school basketball. I am an assistant coach at my old high school and the school where my three kids attend. I am enjoying it thoroughly and wish I had gotten into coaching earlier.
 
2)   What have you been doing during the pandemic to keep busy and how much has your life changed?
 
It is impossible to put into words how much the pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. I think we are all just trying our best to make the most of these horrible circumstances. My wife, Emily, and our kids have been able to spend a ton of time together and we are loving these opportunities. Our kids are 16, 14 and 12 and at times it feels like the world is moving too fast. With Ballet, guitar, basketball, volleyball, tutors, plays, friends etc. it felt like the opportunities for family bonding were too few and far between. We are embracing these times as much as possible with movies, games, cards, cooking, chess, backgammon etc.
 
3)   Share your thoughts on the idea of high school seniors by passing college basketball and going directly to the G League? 
 
My answer is probably more to leaving college early in general, but this trend to me is both inevitable and distressing. I wish we lived in a world where the best players played in college and stayed until they are truly ready to make an impact in the NBA. I understand the allure of the NBA and the financial opportunities that await, but it sickens me when I see 200+ underclassmen leave college every year and also leave behind the education it provides, for the chance of getting drafted. Simple math tells us that 150+ kids who are exceptional basketball players are giving up their education for a dream that doesn't come true. In all of these conversations the value of the life experiences gained through attending a great college, the lifelong relationships, the memories and the education that it provides, are woefully lacking. 
 
4)   You have spent a lot of time as a broadcaster doing radio and television, what do you think has changed about the college game since you graduated?
 
I think across the board the 3-point shot has become the biggest change in basketball. While it was a big part of the game when I played, its role has never been bigger than today.  I'm not sure how many threes I attempted during a game in college but it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that that number would double today. The lack of NBA caliber upperclassmen is also a huge difference. In 1997 when I was drafted, Tim Thomas of Villanova was one of the first "one and done" guys. In the 20+ years since, the best players almost never play a second year of college and certainly never play their junior seasons. I can't imagine my time in the BIG EAST without Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, Donyell Marshall, Kerry Kittles as sophomores and juniors dominating the landscape. Tim Duncan, Keith Van Horn and Chauncey Billups were top picks in that '97 draft and all spent four years in college, that would NEVER happen today and I think the game is worse for it.
 
5)   You had a great run at Providence – you won a BIG EAST title as a freshman in 1994 and the team made a NCAA Tourney run to the Elite 8 as a senior.  Of those 121 games you played as a Friar, what one game or games stands out the most to you?
 
That's a great question. Truly, the ones that stand out are not the best individual games that I played but the games on the biggest stage. I remember very little of my freshman year, it was such a blur with moving from California, being homesick, living my first winter in cold weather etc. However, I vividly remember cutting down the net in Madison Square Garden after we beat Georgetown and won the BIG EAST Tournament. There was a ladder set up under the basket and probably 100 family members and members of our traveling group on the court. My freshman roommate and teammate, Jason Murdock, and I were at the back of the line to cut down our piece of the net. The seniors went first, then juniors, sophomores...then coaches, then the trainer, then president of school and I'm sure legendary "Chief." Jason and I were beginning to realize they might have forgotten about us, maintenance workers were getting ready to remove the ladder when trainer "Fast" Eddie Jamiel realized the error and ushered us up the ladder to cut down our piece of the net.  At this point no one was paying attention, but no matter, Jason and I were BIG EAST Champs and we had our piece of the net to prove it!!! I of course remember the rivalry games vs. Rhode Island and Brown and the pride that came with winning or the feeling of disappointment with a loss. I remember the times the students stormed the court after a huge win. I remember watching the NCAA Selection Sunday show and not getting picked in my sophomore and junior years and the utter disappointment that I felt, but also the motivation that was provided for my senior year. The NCAA tournament is the biggest and best sporting event in the world -- hands down and the run that we had in 97' was a career highlight. The game against Marquette gave us confidence and belief that we were better than we thought we were all year.  The Duke game was epic, and every time I see them on ESPN I take great pride in knowing we beat them. The game against Arizona will always be the biggest "what if" of my career. Every single March I get nostalgic and think of those teams and how proud I was to be a part of that team.
 
6)   The 1994 Friar team and the 1997 Friar team each had a number of future NBA players, if you had to pick one of those teams, which one had a better chance of winning an NCAA title and why? 
 
Another great question. WOW! The more I think of the question the more I struggle with the answer. Abdul Abdullah and Shamgod were very similar,  great pass first guards that could break any press and get by any defender. Eric Williams and Derrick Brown were both incredible scorers and, in my opinion, are two of the most under-appreciated players in PC basketball history. They were both JUCO transfers and my guess is that if both were four year players, each would have been 2000+ point career scorers.  I was very fortunate to play with both of them, they each made my job much easier. Dickey Simpkins and Michael Smith were just absolute monsters and I still remember getting beaten up by every day in practice. Dickey and Mike were very similar to Ruben Garces on the 97' team (I'm glad I didn't have to practice against Ruben since we were both starters…). Both teams had other great players as well: Mike Brown, Rob Phelps, Jamel Thomas, Jason Murdock and many others. I don't know, I'm going to punt on this one, call it a tie…
 
7)   You played for two legendary coaches at Providence – Rick Barnes and Pete Gillen. Tell us about them as coaches and how they contributed to your development as a basketball player?
 
I remembered falling in love with Coach Barnes during the recruiting process and he truly sold me on why PC could be the best place for me. Coach Barnes sold me on the idea of playing behind veteran players Dickey Simpkins, Michael Smith, and Troy Brown and that after they graduated I would have a feature role in the front court. I remember him doing magic tricks to me and my younger brother during my home visit. I remember Coach Barnes "accidentally" showing up at my home the night before, during my home visit with Jim Calhoun and UConn. Ha! I actually remember Coach Calhoun sitting in my living room with my family and answering the door to see Coach Barnes and assistant coach Larry Shyatt. Coach smiled and said he must have made a mistake then yelled, "Hey Jim" over my shoulder at a clearly perturbed Jim Calhoun...So funny. To go over 3,000 miles from home to attend college was a big decision and one that I never took lightly. During my freshman year I knew I made the right decision, and PC in all areas was a great fit. This feeling was quickly brought into question when Rick Barnes announced he was leaving for Clemson. I didn't want to leave Providence but there was so much uncertainty with who the next coach would be, would he like me as a player, would he bring in his own guys, where did I fit in? My concerns were quickly eased when Pete Gillen was announced as the head coach. I immediately found a bond with Coach Gillen and assistant coach Louis Orr. Over the following three years there was an upward moving arc of understanding, confidence and familiarity. There was very much a fatherly bond with Coach Gillen and while I felt this while I was playing for him, we became even closer once my career was over. He is a great man, great coach and now a great friend. I wish that Coach Gillen had coached longer, I always felt that he had an immense amount of knowledge to share to future generations of players. I always enjoy listening to coach call games on TV, it is part basketball insight, part basketball history and part comedy show...he is the best.
 
Thank you so much for asking me these questions and including me on Friars.com.
I make it back to campus once every couple of years (not often enough) and am always blown away by the beauty of the campus that I fondly remember walking around 25 years ago. Colleges are often viewed by their buildings, fields, libraries and quads but the personality, the character, the soul of the college is defined by the people, by the community. PC was a great school when I roamed the halls but it is an even greater place today, and this is because of the great people that make up FRIARTOWN!!!