Austin Daye Bio

May 15, 2009 - 11:10 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer=

NAME: Austin Daye

SCHOOL: Gonzaga

POSITION: Small forward

HEIGHT: 6-foot-10

WEIGHT: 200 pounds

SCOUTING REPORT: The son of former NBA player Darren Daye, Austin Daye's freshman season at Gonzaga in 2007-08 put him on the map as a potential lottery pick, as he averaged 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in less than 20 minutes per game for the Bulldogs. However, he suffered a partially torn ACL the following offseason and had a somewhat disappointing sophomore year. His numbers (12.7 points, 6.8 rebounds) went up slightly but he didn't get to the free-throw line with as much frequency and he struggled at the stripe, dropping from an 88.1 percent shooter to 70.6 percent. The chief concern with Daye is his frailty - he has the size of a power forward but the build of a point guard. He seemed a step slower after the offseason injury, and that made him more one-dimensional and led to his hanging out on the perimeter more often. He's a solid outside shooter (42.9 percent from 3-point range), and has an outstanding release that, at his size, is essentially impossible to defend. Daye will have to add some bulk if he's going to have a chance to not only defend bigger, more athletic players, but also to bang around in the paint and get rebounds. The closest comparison to Daye in the NBA might be Tayshaun Prince, a player who's certainly carved out a niche for himself in the league against most expectations. Daye, though, has more upside than Prince did coming out. Should he keep his name in the draft, he'll likely be picked in the latter half of the first round.