Salutations listeners and welcome to the player profiles podcast I am your host, Joppa Mizreal and if you're looking to get to know the many great athletes here at St. David University And I must say you've definitely arrived at the correct destination So who is the athlete that is going to be featured on today's episode? Well, I'll let my imaginary interview wheel answer that question Hey cut the music real quick. Alright, let's give this thing a girl spin And today's athlete is going to be Ah Claire Austin handling from Chicago, Illinois.
She is a senior on the women's basketball team here at St. Xavier I sat down and talked to Claire and here's how I went Claire Austin is our guest today Claire. Thank you so much for being here. How are you?
How are you doing? Thanks for having me. I'm doing pretty good I've been doing a I have to do a lot of these and it's a lot of fun And it's always good to know you know new people get to know their stories and all that stuff and obviously the athletes You know are always you know really cool to dive in because it's like that's a that's a double it's like a double like you gotta live Between sports and academics. Oh, yeah, but I'll start with the athletics though basketball I got to ask why basketball basketball has just always been a part of my life growing up It was kind of like me and my dad's thing He was my coach starting from fourth grade all the way to eighth grade And even though he wasn't my coach being high school in college He still was like just coaching from home And it was just always like a special bond that we had and it really helped me make memories with him And then all of my family along the way So I would say that I do play for them along with myself And when you like first picked up a basketball do you like have any memories of that or like do you have like any like Memories that made you love basketball for good I think it was probably my first really organized game in fourth grade I had scored ten points and I thought it was the coolest game in the world because I probably only scored those ten points because I was taller than everyone else, but I was like wow I'm good at this and then I just really picked it up throughout the years and just really loved it Hmm fourth grade that is wow That is amazing.
I remember like I was younger It was like it was very similar to that like I just saw the net just go up and I'm just like whoa Can I do that again? It was it and it was just like repetition. Yeah, I know how that felt But when you got to high school, you know, obviously this is kind of where I'm assuming it started to get like really really serious Because it's like you know when you're doing what I just say sports. It's like it's a different piece and if I'm not mistaken You went to Maris, right?
Yeah, so what do you think the process was like when you went to Maris and tried to play basketball? Well, I think that Maris had such like a reputation for always being a good basketball program So right when I got to high school I knew I wanted to establish myself and be a part of that tradition So my coach Mary Peck only was great She really was a good leader and kind of showed me how I can be like a great player along with a great leader So I think that just establishing myself early in the program and then being able to continue on with the help of her And all of my other coaches at Maris really helps grow my love for the game What do you think was your favorite memory from playing basketball at Maris? Oh gosh? There were so many This is a good question.
I really have to think about it But I think that our trip we went on a team trip to Arizona and although it wasn't like the best outcome basketball wise I think that really showed me that like your team will always be there for you even when the games aren't going right So just how team chemistry and how important that is even when things aren't going right basketball wise You still have them and your life as friends and teammates. Yeah teammates are a big part of you know sports in general I can I can definitely at home to that What do you think like how do you think the transition went from high school to college in terms of teammates? Do you feel did you feel like you had a very similar bond? So I didn't go here from the start I actually went to another school and I think that I struggled a little bit more there I was obviously farther away from home So I didn't really have those connections that I had but then like the second I came back home and went started at saying Xavier I made friendships that I know will last a lifetime and kind of I was looking for those relationships at my other school And I didn't have those there but coming here was really like a refresher And I really met the people that I was meant to be around for my college experience So this so like home is kind of where the heart is Yeah, no, I know I know I mean you obviously weren't just starting college when the pandemic started But when like I graduated 2021 and it was like even pandemic or not I was like I can't go far with at home I just can't do it I am a huge home body and I didn't realize it like I want to go away I did it like right when I went away I was like I just want to be home I want to be by my parents all my siblings are here So I was really hard Those are like a moment whether to be on the court or just at the school in wherever you were Do you think there was a there was a moment that made you realize I got to go back home?
Yeah, I mean sitting in my dorm room There was I can remember this one specific like particular time I was like I called my mom and I was like I just want to come home And they just thought I was homesick, you know, and then it kind of progressed throughout the whole year And then I was like no, I need to be home Yeah, I know that's um Wow, that's something else That's that's I probably have a panic attack if I were you if I were in your shoes It's like it's like I don't know if I could deal with that for for however many months Yeah, I might have been okay if it was just school but having the schedule I did with basketball and school It definitely made it a lot more hard. Yeah, no, I understand that so all that being said you ended up here I did and obviously, you know, you come in you're not a freshman But did you feel like a freshman when you first came here? You know, I did a little bit I but I did also have one friend on the team so she kind of helped show me the ropes a little bit But still I mean you're coming to a new place everything is new like even though I've lived five minutes away from here My whole life this whole school was completely due to me So I definitely did have that freshman feel again But I mean right when I started meeting everyone and became friends with them that were off really quickly. I just realized something you You were the mayor's class of 16, right 17 17.
Okay, so that means you did play my school in the playoffs one year. What's going on? I went to HF Don't talk about the come on. No, no, no, no, no.
Hey, no, it's all right We we had that section old final we had that sectional championship while your football team absolutely just broke our hearts So it's like it's a fair trade even though he does it does. Yeah, it's a fair trade especially I mean, I can't tell you how shook our school was because like you were you were already Wait a minute. You were No, I was a middle school class 17. I came in 18 But like it was my freshman year of high school and I remember like them talking about a playoff football game and It was like we were at the goal line against Marist down three we decided to go for it Obviously go for the touchdown for the win and we end up throwing an interception in the end zone And it was just like we it was like Marist automatically became the biggest of the month right there It was like it was like it was like we hated them more than bowling brook We hated them more than a lot poor we hated them more than Lincoln way east would set a lot because we do not like Yeah, it was just like crazy.
It was like we it was like we were so upset, but hey that's sports It is it's the beauty of it, right? Mm-hmm, you know, there are some teams that get on your nerves and you know make you want to grind harder stuff like that, you know Yeah, and speaking of which this may be a very dumb question But do you think there's one team here at SxU that you'd play all the time? You're just like this thing gets on my nerves Hmm in our conference any team Yeah, I'd say there's there's a couple there. I think the most Respected rivalry we have a safe ransus.
Um, we've kind of been going back and forth with them So I mean they do get on my nerves a little bit But I mean I just respect respect them so much They've been so good for so many years and we always have a problem with them when we come across them So they're kind of like our motivation so like like you're a maristine for us. Yeah Yeah, speaking of motivation I know there you know is a lot of motivation coming into this year because you know, there's a there's a hump that we have to get over Obviously, you know, we've been to the conference championship game a few times in a row haven't gone our way But going into this year, how do you think you guys can use that as motivation? Especially since you know, you'll be returning and there'll be you know new faces on the team There'll be some old ones too, but how do you guys think that you can um, you know use? You know these last few seasons motivation especially for you?
I think that just knowing I mean the conference championship thing drives all of us returners like crazy We know we've been there. We know we can we're good enough to make it there We just need to prove ourselves once the time comes so I think we have been using that as motivation We've already started preseason and kind of just like letting the underclass But no like this is what we've been through This is what what happened in this scenario and now we need your help to get us past that little hump that we can't get through Yeah, I completely agree because it's like, you know, you probably have seen me up like on the upper level call with a guy named I mean, we have a lot of memories and a lot of great calls and stuff and we also had the honored to See you get your 2k ball when you got honored for your scoring. Yeah, my 1000. Yeah, I'm thinking I don't know why I thought of Sabrina in his record like when she went to k 1k 1k and No one can compare to her.
She's great. I'm sorry. No, it's okay But you you reached a thousand points and it was like a thousand. That's a lot of that's a lot of points Yeah, for sure.
Um, what did it feel like to you know achieve something of that level? You know like I got my career a thousand point earlier in the season and then talking to my dad He was like nothing counts like unless you do it at St. Xavier So I think that was his and I's goal was to just get a thousand points at St. Xavier This is the place that I've called home and I actually felt home and playing college basketball here has been like where I wish I would have went from the beginning So getting it at St.
Xavier I think about the most to me because the people that I've surrounded myself with here have really done everything they can to support me and Make me the player that I am today. So I mean it all goes back to them. Yeah, I know what you mean because last year The team just looked like really really tight. They look really close They look you guys look like you had a lot of fun It was it was a blast watching and it must have been even more of a blast, you know playing and It was just like it was a lot.
It was just a lot of fun But if I'm not mistaken, Sydney Loveitch also scored a thousand points. Yeah, and it was like really really close to when you scored a thousand Points, so it was like okay We just had to we just had to women go back to back thousand point milestones How crazy is that because that doesn't happen very often? No, and it was great because Sydney is one of my best friends So just getting to getting her to experience that first and kind of just seeing that and just kind of seeing what I want to do Like really set myself up and just being so proud of her for everything that she's done throughout her career And then being able to do it right alongside her was great. Yeah, she's like an A grat assistant.
She's a grat assistant. No, so we still get to have her round. It's great. Oh that chemistry is gonna be different Oh, yeah, but you know obviously speaking of chemistry Obviously like I said, there's gonna be a few new faces coming on the team How can you do your best to welcome the new faces into you know college basketball?
Yeah, I think it's definitely it's gonna be a learning curve for them Obviously, it's a lot different we have one transfer and then the rest freshman but college basketball is a lot different than high school basketball So I mean starting now we have started preseason kind of getting them adjusted to our culture now and how hard we work and everything that we do to Make us the best team we can be so kind of starting now and just letting them know about the tradition at St. Xavier Because there was a long line of women that came before us that made this program what it is today So we kind of really emphasize tradition and how we want to honor those that play before us Yeah, and speaking of tradition, you know, there can be some very rockest crowds in that Shannon Center We girls take a four and I say that wholeheartedly like I always I always stress this when it comes to women in sports because they are criminally underrated Mm-hmm like this is probably one of the only schools that can safely say the women's team draws more Crowds draw bigger crowds than the men's team even though the men's team is not off It's just that the women's team is that like that good and that fun to watch What do you think like makes this team so not just so good? But so fun to watch I think that like the competitive edge that we all have is like on it's like no other Like you something happens on the floor and you have all four teammates backing up along with the whole crowd Like coming from like the football team like the boys volleyball team everybody's at our games And it makes it it makes it so hard to play in the Shannon Center for other teams that that really gives us an edge up and like them watching us Like they feed us know even if they don't know it like I'm cheering us on like we get way more into the game on there So I think just how competitive we all are and how willing we are to win for our school is what kind of draw everyone there? Yeah, it's probably one of the big reasons why I rarely call a close game It's like you know that it's like you always like it always sounded it always went through like this you'd start off Okay, whatever second quarter is like alright.
We're starting to get a feel for this team And they're like the recorder you just run about the building it's this fourth quarter is bench party time It's like this team how they do it how y'all did it so consistently it was just like I can't tell if this is disrespect or this is like This is just like this is how they roll. This is how they win. Yeah, you know, it's like it was it was amazing And you know everybody would go crazy for everybody everybody got a slice of the pie exactly Yeah, it was just like it was just like whoa like you like that team last year and it was my fops It was my freshman year. It was like, okay, this is when it's college basketball right?
Yeah, yeah, everyone's happy for everyone on our team There's no like judgment or anything like oh that should be me out there like we really wholeheartedly believe as long as we're winning the game Whoever like can get us there as we should be in yeah, how about that one time when the crowd chance had triple double Oh That is a moment my college career that I don't think I'll ever forget because I really didn't think that I would ever get to that My also and I guess in my career I did but my fourth year playing in games of college basketball And I kind of I got pretty close a couple times so I figured that I would just end my career with whatever almost a triple Double so really being able to reach that my coach kind of helping me out and then everyone doing that my face was so red But it was all of I was really just smiling for me to hear I think it was in a playoff game, too It was that's that's insane like a triple That was like when they were changed I was like Claire Austin has a triple double yeah like in the playoffs like that's that's not that is insane No, it was I mean I couldn't have done it without we were playing all about it was a very fast-paced team So that definitely helped out we were getting up and down the floor more and I mean my teammates put the ball in the basket to help Me out on the assist so couldn't have done without them Yeah, you're right. I mean for every point there has to be in I mean there doesn't have to be an assist But there could be a system and they definitely helped you out a lot and that was that was a great team win another textbook You know same day if you're win I just remember my roommate coming in like chop them because he I think he was working a score statement He's like why does all of that stuff to their entire team off the court? I'm just like that. I've never seen that before definitely an interesting system I mean it's what's worked for them for so long I do not think that I would like to play for a team that does that personally, but I mean it's working for them So yeah, I mean yeah, you solved it one way or another two couple times so yeah, but When you get through with this year and you you know ultimately graduate What do you think you want your legacy to be and what do you think you want the teams legacy to be at the end of this year?
Personally, I think that I would like to be like just remembered as a leader I'm if anything like I the accolades really don't mean anything to me if I wasn't a leader to my teammates and someone that they could look Up to and kind of come to and their time of need so I think that's a personal legacy that I'd like to have a mind For this team this year we talk about goals all the time And I mean sometimes we talk about smaller goals and then obviously our end goal is the national championship And I think that we didn't have our coach until October 18 last year So we kind of we weren't behind necessarily but we didn't weren't necessarily talking about those goals from the beginning So having our coach here from the start of the school year this year We really have that foundation to build on and go as far as we can in the playoffs And obviously the national championship is our goal and the team that we had to run her up one year But I think that if there is a year that we can do it it would be this year to go as far as possible Yeah, this is obviously, you know a year for looking up to big things because this program is not going anywhere downhill It's not going anywhere in that direction even with a new coach It was like you know, it was like picking up right where you left off and it was just like all right I can get used to this exactly yeah, that's all same things everyone's best was about like you never want to have a Down year you're down you're gonna have rebuilding years and stuff, but that next year comes along you're ready to go Yeah, all right, let's get down to business. Um, I you can say the point was intended, but uh, you are here Not just for basketball, but to also get your masters in business management. Yeah business management, right? So why business management?
I think I was drawn to business in high school. We had an entrepreneur class and um I don't know I kind of just liked everything about business I kind of like the day-to-day operations I really am like all about process So I like seeing like progress as you go on to an end result and so I think business is all about that So I think that's kind of why I chose it from the start. What do you think you want to do with that? See that's the best question.
I have no idea. Obviously I've explored a couple different things Sales management positions. I think that it would be good for me to stay in sports I've been around sports my whole life So I've kind of been thinking about like working my way up to be an athletic director somewhere or just potentially being in management of a sports Sports team or college sports like program or something like that. I'm not 100% sure what I will do with it I think that may rolls around not really have to figure it out, but right now I'm kind of just keep my options open I'm not opposed to coaching either because I do coach on the side So I'm kind of just keep my options open and then gonna apply for jobs and mains He wrote takes me that is one of the most beautiful mystery you can ever draw The mystery of knowing not not knowing exactly what you want to do, but knowing the area exactly the options are endless So I'm kind of just that's why I'm trying to go in open going into it with an open mind So that I'm not shutting something down even when I haven't tried it yet And you know obviously the school has a whole school a whole school whole building I call dedicated to business Oh, yeah, how resourceful has that place been because I've only been there for you know a couple of classes What is it like for you to be in there?
No, I mean, it's great the professors that I have had here have helped me more than anyone because it has my whole life Every time I need assistance with anything. They're just an email way and they're willing to meet with you I'm willing to like schedule a zoom anything to get you to where you need to be so it's great having that whole building just to be focused on business Yeah Because I'm taking a couple of business related classes now Even though I'm a comm major in a film media studies Mine so that doesn't have too much to do with business other than me getting into the industry involving that stuff But I as a comm major I don't have you know a lot of classes that take my own major because think about it like common such a broad, you know Yeah, it's like you can get up you need a job in order to get a job you need to have some sort of good communication skills Exactly like no, I mean you don't need to you don't need to you know analyze everybody's syllables to you know Know that you got to talk in order to be able to get a job Yeah, it's not as specific of a major as a business where you know, you know, you know, there's owners ships And there's management and stuff like that not specific and so I have to dig into a lot of other people's majors in order to get my Difference yes, it's like okay. I got to be well-rounded. I got to dig into I'm gonna be spamming 101 class Yeah, I'm thinking like sociology a 101 I can take a business matters right now I got econ to a two with Peter Aretha's and yeah, he's like one of the coolest teachers.
I've seen so far here It's like huh, so I mean I've learned a little bit about econ high school I had econ class high school loved it so I'm like, you know what? Put my hand deeper into the business cookie job. I mean it's definitely interesting You won't be bored in class. Oh no.
Oh no. I cannot tell you how much Aretha's like talks about Cubs and why sucks? It's just like there's a sauce fan in there and this is like he's so many references Yeah, it is so hilarious, but as a sports guy. I love it.
Yeah, I was gonna say he's class interesting. Yes But yeah, obviously, you know business management is your thing and I really do hope you know find out what you want to do With that because you sound like you could have you can do anything. Yep. Just as long as I try to keep all the options open So yeah, yeah, do you so you coach on the side you said I do.
Yeah, I coach them eight I had eighth grade this year Illinois defenders and a team what is that like? It's definitely interesting I started when I did start coaching. I was coaching like the fourth and fifth graders So I kind of started out with the babies and then worked my way up to a more competitive level with the eighth graders And I really do love coaching and I think that is something that I could pursue in the future So it kind of showed me how much I do love it and love being around the game Yeah, that that would be something there's always there's a lot of avenues for you to still be connected to the game after you graduate There's it's crazy. It's great though.
Mm-hmm. Something you don't have to leave the game just because you're done playing Yeah, it's um, that's like I said, that's a beautiful mystery. Mm-hmm. We're gonna mysteries solve this one for me hobbies hobbies hobbies hobbies hobbies Outside of basketball do you have any oh gosh?
I always take this question in school Basketball in school take up so and coaching take up so much of my time So I guess you could say coaching would be technically a hobby for me even though it's a job But other than that I really just enjoy spending time with like my family my friends and my dog Like I hang out with if I'm not playing basketball or doing schoolwork I'm with one of those my dog my family and my friends It's like a like a rotation like a rotation that little line of usually my friends get the weekends I'm with my family like all the time my dogs are at my house, so I'm always with her That is very organized. That's it. I said that I didn't expect a rotation metaphor to work out that Yeah, but um so have you ever like I know you know when great players, you know have great You know do great things obviously the only statistic that the matters the most is victories But do you ever like sit down and just look at what you've accomplished and think wow? You know I like I said I'm like I try to just worry about if we're winning or not so or like how I am as a person off the court to my teammates So no I really haven't like I thought about like I've had a pretty good career And I'm like proud of what I've accomplished But also none of that means anything if my teammates don't think of me as a person that they can come to with everything So I really try to like pride myself in just being the best person I can be off the floor So then my on court accomplishments.
They do will matter in the end. Yeah, you did a little too that earlier when I came to teammate chemistry I guess I'll have one last question for you while during your time here Can you recall, you know, you're your best moment your finest moment your favorite memory while here at SxU playing basketball We've had so many good games that I've played here in so many games that I like will never forget But I think the one that sticks out to me the most would be when we played morning side at the beginning of this previous year So before that we lost them in the playoffs by we got like 20 piece It was it was a rough game So and they were the first game of our next season So they were the last game of that season the first game of the next season So we really had it in our heads like what we needed to do against them and like our whole team played amazing Like we all the team chemistry was there individually everyone played great and we came up and we ended up eating them by a decent amount So I think that that whole game we were all just so dialed in and then after the game I have never been like so happy to celebrate a win with the people that I was celebrating it with so that definitely It was probably my favorite memory throughout my time in saving favor. Yeah, that was a very satisfying victory I mean, they were at the time They were the sixth ranked team in the nation and you beat up by 14 It was a just I don't say decisively it was it wasn't it wasn't that close the game No, it felt close the whole time though But then when we like we didn't even look at the sport We were just like we need to keep kind of adding it on and then finally when we looked up at the scoreboard with like a couple Seconds left we all just like looked at each other and smile and like we finally did it Yeah, that had that had I'm guessing that there's a lot of edges you have to play with in order to face the team in your first game of A season after they knocked you out in the playoff. It's like that's a different edges Oh, yeah, I know our coach did that on purpose like scheduling wise I'm sure we could have had a game before them But I think she saw that they would be our first game if we didn't schedule and prior to that was like no That's what we want We want them coming in like still fresh off that loss from the previous year and just play with that intensity Yeah, that's um that's intensity that I love and you know obviously I'll be looking forward to calling more games this year as well as long as I am here I'm gonna try to do as many games as possible because you never you just never know what you're gonna see I've had so many great like you have so many great moments on the court I have like I have clips on record And I just look back at them and it's just so many moments whether it be the crowd making making the Shannon Center sound like sound like An asteroid just blew up.
Yeah, or just a moment where Aliana crosses over somebody. She's so freaking agile It's always like or even when McKenna's old who gets an offensive board or when Alyssa the cring doll does it is just like That like they're so there's like every person has like a trademark exactly a trademark that just gets the crowd up on your feet It's so it was so exactly and that's what makes the team so great and we love having you so obviously come to this money games You can't yeah for sure. I'm definitely gonna try to get you guys on the air as much as I possibly can that it's gonna be fun Yeah, November 1st Clark Oh, yeah, that's gonna be that's gonna be another do's it will be yeah, I cannot wait that that that's that's gonna be so cool That's gonna do it for today's episode I'd like to give a shout out to Claire Austin for taking time out of her day to come and sit down and do this interview with me She truly proves that things may be big in Texas But they might be a little bigger in Austin until next time everybody so long