We had the opportunity to speak with Austin Beech about his professional basketball career so far. Last season, Austin played for the Belfast Star in the Irish Super League where he averaged 13 PPG and 6 RPG. Prior to his professional career, Austin played at Durham University in England as well as division 2 Adelphi University in New York where he averaged 11 PPG and 5 RPG. Austin has some great perspectives for any players trying to continue their career at the pro level. Major thanks to Austin for taking the time to share his journey with us!
1) Prior to playing pro, you played for a university team in England while earning your masters, why did you choose to do this and how do you feel this impacted your journey to playing pro?
I decided to do this because it provided the opportunity to have a study abroad experience that I wasn’t able to have during college in the states because of basketball season. Not only did it give me the chance to travel to many different countries, but it also allowed me the chance to keep playing after using up all of my NCAA eligibility, all while working towards my masters degree which I knew I wanted to do at some point. Going greatly impacted my journey to playing pro because it allowed me to make connections with teams and coaches in and around Europe. It made it much easier if I needed to be physically present in front of a team or to be seen by people who may have connections with teams or agents.
2) How did you go about finding a contract opportunity? Did you use an agent or attend any showcases?
For my first contract opportunity this past season I did most of the work myself. I reached out to teams via email or Facebook and agents as well. I also played 3x3 basketball in Europe in hopes of being seen and maybe picked up. Ultimately, I didn’t go through an agent or any of the contacts of teams I had reached out to myself but my coach from University in England helped get me my first contract with a connection he had with a team in Ireland.
3) You essentially took a year off due to COVID affecting your season, how did this gap impact your process of finding a contract and how did you stay ready?
The year off made things very difficult. With limited access to even be able to train on a court with a basketball or lift weights, let alone be able to have any game experience or film in the last year. The only good thing was most everybody was in the same position of not being able to play for some period of time. The difficult part was that teams and agents look for the most recent film and experience to evaluate you from. Mentally I just had to remind myself that this is a situation that a lot of people are facing and continue to do my due diligence in trying to connect and find a team. Physically it was taking any opportunity I could, if the gym opened back up for a week or two before shutting back down I would make sure I was there. I would run outside, workout in my room, and go dribble or shoot outside if I was able to.
4) What has been the most difficult transition from college to pro basketball, either on or off of the court?
The biggest transition lies in the lifestyle of it all. On the court, as an American, typically there will only be one or two spots available for you so there are expectations that come with that. A team could easily cut you and bring in someone else if you aren’t producing what they need from you or aren’t seeing your ability to help them achieve what they want as a club. Off the court you will find yourself with a lot more free time because you are cutting out the entirety of having school alongside basketball. This free time can actually be a bit too much sometimes, especially with language barriers. That’s why the situation you end up in, where you go, and where you live is just as important.
5) Overall, how was the process of trying to secure a pro contract and what advice would you give someone about to begin this journey?
The overall process can seem daunting and overwhelming. My advice would be to start early and stay active. My issue for my first year was that I wasn’t proactive enough early on and it came down to the point where I didn’t find my contract and fly out to my team until after the first game of the season, but I also saw my team bring in someone after Christmas, half way through the season. So I would say to not give up at any point, stay ready, and always keep reaching out. Reach out to as many people as you can, you won’t know if the opportunity will work out unless you put in the time.
6) How does the play style overseas compare to basketball in the US?
The play style can differ from country to country. In my experience a lot of our possessions were run from some type of set rather than just “playing” so to speak. The ball didn’t stick very much and a lot of movement was asked of us. Typically it felt as if responsibilities were spread out across the team more evenly than expecting one person to do so much and on any given night, the leading scorers for us could change. Also, once you get to a professional level there is a bit more freedom that comes with it, compared to a system that was run in college.