Popular Searches
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Share
Austin-Michaud brothers take HVCC dancing
By Austin Mort
TROY — After spending their childhood playing sports together, Ian and Dalton Austin-Michaud thought that the end of high school marked the end of their days as teammates. In 2006, Ian graduated from Ichabod Crane, leaving Dalton, a rising senior, the reins to the Riders basketball team. Ian then spent two years out of the game, while Dalton began his college career at Columbia-Greene Community College. This year, however, the brothers found their way back onto the hardwood together and have led the Hudson Valley Community College Vikings to national prominence.
“It’s been really good to be able to have another year to play with Dalton,” said Ian. “We thought it would be over after high school. It’s been an amazing experience playing with him and getting this team a shot at the national championship.”
In their first year with the program, the Austin-Michauds are leading HVCC to one of its most successful seasons in team history. The Vikings are 31-2, ranked second in NJCAA Division III, and Region III Tournament champions. As Region III champs, the Vikings earned a berth in the eight-team NJCAA Division III National Tournament for just the second time in program history, according to Vikings coach Andre Cooke. Ian and Dalton both earned second team All-Region III and second team All-Mountain Conference honors after the regular season, but took their games to a new level in the regional tournament.
The Vikings rolled over Onondaga Community College 83-55 in the first round of regional play before knocking off SUNY Delhi 65-57 in the semis and edging Finger Lakes C.C. 59-56 to claim the title.
Dalton averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds over the three-game span, en route to being named tournament MVP, while Ian averaged 12 points and 10 boards to earn a spot on the All-Tournament first team.
“It is a great award,” said Dalton. “I put in such hard work all the time, it felt great.”
Neither brother took a direct route to the HVCC basketball team, but the move has certainly paid off since they did arrive. Ian, 21, took a year off from school after graduating from ICC. He enrolled at Hudson Valley the following year but did not play basketball due to personal reasons. Dalton, 19, was a standout on Columbia-Greene Community College’s basketball squad last season, scoring 666 points as a freshman. After he made the move to HVCC, the brothers were reunited and have provided head coach Andre Cooke with a tandem of hard-nosed, well-rounded ballplayers.
“We’re happy both of them are here,” said coach Cooke. “Winning is important to both of them. The main thing they have brought to this team is toughness. They are tough kids, they rebound the ball.”
The numbers show that, besides being tough, the Austin-Michauds get the job done statistically. Their scoring averages both hover around 10 points per game, with Dalton averaging 10.5 and Ian 9.3. They rank second and third on the team in assists per game, as Ian dishes 3.2 dimes per contest and Dalton offers 3.1. And, despite not being the tallest players on the court, they lead the team in rebounding, as Ian brings down 9.1 boards per game and Dalton comes down with 7.7.
Cooke also praises the winning attitudes that the Austin-Michauds have brought to the program.
“They’re both selfless. Neither are concerned about their gaudy numbers. The most important statistic to both of them is the winning. Basically they have been ‘whatever it takes’ type of guys. Dalton played at Columbia-Greene last year, averaged 22 points per game, came here this year and is averaging half that, but he’s just doing what is needed to win.
“They’re almost like twins in the fact that they know what each other is thinking. They’ve been playing with each other probably since they were 5 or 6 years old. They complement each other well, they get along really well. They’re brothers but they’re also best friends, you can see their camaraderie on the court.”
This season is likely the final one the Austin-Michauds will share on the hardwood. Dalton is looking to make the move to a four-year school, ideally at an NCAA Division II program like the College of St. Rose. Ian, on the other hand, has the option of spending another season with the Vikings before moving to a four-year institution. But that possibility has only made this season more valuable.
“The best part of the season was playing with a lot of kids I’ve known from around the area, through AAU, and playing with my brother for one more time before we part ways,” said Dalton.
But before that issue is addressed, the Vikings have some matters to take care of on the court. Tonight at 8 p.m. at SUNY Delhi, HVCC will open the National Tournament against the College of DuPage. The Chaparrals (21-11) hail from Chicago and are champions of NJCAA Region IV. In 55 seasons of hoops at HVCC, this will only be the second trip the team takes to the national tournament. But the Vikings do not intend on settling for a mere appearance in the eight-team playoff.
“I do know our guys are expecting to win a national championship,” said Cooke. “They’re not just going there for the banquet and the pat on the back. They’re going to be focused.”
“I definitely feel confident about the team we have,” said Ian. “It’s a great group of kids, we’d do anything for each other. I’m going to enjoy the experience and hopefully bring this thing home.”
“It’s been really good to be able to have another year to play with Dalton,” said Ian. “We thought it would be over after high school. It’s been an amazing experience playing with him and getting this team a shot at the national championship.”
In their first year with the program, the Austin-Michauds are leading HVCC to one of its most successful seasons in team history. The Vikings are 31-2, ranked second in NJCAA Division III, and Region III Tournament champions. As Region III champs, the Vikings earned a berth in the eight-team NJCAA Division III National Tournament for just the second time in program history, according to Vikings coach Andre Cooke. Ian and Dalton both earned second team All-Region III and second team All-Mountain Conference honors after the regular season, but took their games to a new level in the regional tournament.
The Vikings rolled over Onondaga Community College 83-55 in the first round of regional play before knocking off SUNY Delhi 65-57 in the semis and edging Finger Lakes C.C. 59-56 to claim the title.
Dalton averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds over the three-game span, en route to being named tournament MVP, while Ian averaged 12 points and 10 boards to earn a spot on the All-Tournament first team.
“It is a great award,” said Dalton. “I put in such hard work all the time, it felt great.”
Neither brother took a direct route to the HVCC basketball team, but the move has certainly paid off since they did arrive. Ian, 21, took a year off from school after graduating from ICC. He enrolled at Hudson Valley the following year but did not play basketball due to personal reasons. Dalton, 19, was a standout on Columbia-Greene Community College’s basketball squad last season, scoring 666 points as a freshman. After he made the move to HVCC, the brothers were reunited and have provided head coach Andre Cooke with a tandem of hard-nosed, well-rounded ballplayers.
“We’re happy both of them are here,” said coach Cooke. “Winning is important to both of them. The main thing they have brought to this team is toughness. They are tough kids, they rebound the ball.”
The numbers show that, besides being tough, the Austin-Michauds get the job done statistically. Their scoring averages both hover around 10 points per game, with Dalton averaging 10.5 and Ian 9.3. They rank second and third on the team in assists per game, as Ian dishes 3.2 dimes per contest and Dalton offers 3.1. And, despite not being the tallest players on the court, they lead the team in rebounding, as Ian brings down 9.1 boards per game and Dalton comes down with 7.7.
Cooke also praises the winning attitudes that the Austin-Michauds have brought to the program.
“They’re both selfless. Neither are concerned about their gaudy numbers. The most important statistic to both of them is the winning. Basically they have been ‘whatever it takes’ type of guys. Dalton played at Columbia-Greene last year, averaged 22 points per game, came here this year and is averaging half that, but he’s just doing what is needed to win.
“They’re almost like twins in the fact that they know what each other is thinking. They’ve been playing with each other probably since they were 5 or 6 years old. They complement each other well, they get along really well. They’re brothers but they’re also best friends, you can see their camaraderie on the court.”
This season is likely the final one the Austin-Michauds will share on the hardwood. Dalton is looking to make the move to a four-year school, ideally at an NCAA Division II program like the College of St. Rose. Ian, on the other hand, has the option of spending another season with the Vikings before moving to a four-year institution. But that possibility has only made this season more valuable.
“The best part of the season was playing with a lot of kids I’ve known from around the area, through AAU, and playing with my brother for one more time before we part ways,” said Dalton.
But before that issue is addressed, the Vikings have some matters to take care of on the court. Tonight at 8 p.m. at SUNY Delhi, HVCC will open the National Tournament against the College of DuPage. The Chaparrals (21-11) hail from Chicago and are champions of NJCAA Region IV. In 55 seasons of hoops at HVCC, this will only be the second trip the team takes to the national tournament. But the Vikings do not intend on settling for a mere appearance in the eight-team playoff.
“I do know our guys are expecting to win a national championship,” said Cooke. “They’re not just going there for the banquet and the pat on the back. They’re going to be focused.”
“I definitely feel confident about the team we have,” said Ian. “It’s a great group of kids, we’d do anything for each other. I’m going to enjoy the experience and hopefully bring this thing home.”
Share this Article
 |
 |
|
| Lady Clippers meet their match | 2008-09 Patroon Conference Girls Basketball All-Stars |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of registerstar.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
