Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Jovan.Austin@sfasu.edu
Jovan Austin enters his second season at Stephen F. Austin after helping the Lumberjacks win the 2025-26 Southland Conference regular-season championship, reach the league tournament title game and earn an automatic berth to the NIT.
Austin's first SFA season ended with a 28-6 overall record and a record-setting 20-2 mark in conference play. SFA's player development was reflected in three major Southland awards and three All-Southland selections, led by SLC Player of the Year Keon Thompson.
Austin joined the program not long after the hiring of head coach Matt Braeuer in April 2025. He spent the previous three seasons on the Mississippi State Bulldogs Men's Basketball Staff. While at Mississippi State, Austin served as both a director of operations for two seasons and as the director of recruiting for the Bulldogs during the 2024-25 campaign.
He played an integral role in the Bulldogs' success on the court as Mississippi State recorded three straight seasons with over 20 wins and a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances. His final season in Starkville saw MSU compile a 21-13 overall record with five wins over Top 25 opponents. During his three seasons with the program, the Bulldogs recorded 10 wins over AP Top 25 teams and beat three AP Top 10 teams in 2023-24 alone.
Prior to joining the Bulldogs coaching staff, Austin served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Commerce (now East Texas A&M University) in 2019-20, before making a stop as an assistant coach at Panola College for the 2020-21 season. He then served as an assistant coach at University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley for the 2021-22 campaign before joining the Bulldogs' program.
Prior to his time as an assistant coach, Austin served as a graduate assistant at New Mexico State where the Aggies amassed a 58-11 record during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. The Aggies captured a pair of WAC regular season and tournament titles and nearly upset 2019 NCAA Final Four participant Auburn in the opening round.
Austin had the opportunity to suit up for current Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans at Bowling Green as a junior in 2014-15. Austin helped the Falcons amass 21 victories in 2014-15, helping the Falcons to one of the nation's best turnarounds as they posted a 12-20 record the year prior. He wrapped up his playing career at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2016-17 and helped the Lions to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The Grand Prairie, Texas native started his collegiate career at Angelo State where he earned the 2012-13 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. Austin played his sophomore campaign at Paris Junior College. He garnered an All-Conference Second-Team and an All-Region Third-Team selection. PJC won 26 games and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
At the prep level, Austin was a three-time letterwinner at South Grande Prairie High School. The District 7-5A Offensive MVP led the team to a 35-3 record and a district title as a senior.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies from Texas A&M-Commerce in December 2016. Austin and his wife, Taylor, have a daughter Dallas.
