Senior Austin Karrer of the UTSA men’s basketball team has been a key contributor to the Roadrunners on and off the court since he first arrived at UTSA. On the court he has played in over 80 games, and done whatever the team has needed from him whether it be rebound, score, or play defense. Off the court Karrer has been a C-USA Academic Medal Recipient and been named to the Conference Commissioner Honor Roll three times.
Karrer has been playing basketball his entire life, and he has been able to dunk since the eighth grade. For Karrer basketball is a part of his family’s tradition and he adores the game.
“I just fell in love with it. I have been playing for a while. Growing up basketball was a part of my family. Both of my brothers played. My oldest brother coached me, and my parents were a big part in it. I started playing well and I thought I could keep doing it for a little while, and I was fortunate to get an offer here, then the story was written,” Karrer said.
Karrer went to Canyon High School in New Braunfels where he said he had a great coaching staff that helped him get into UTSA and experience a winning culture.. Karrer averaged 10.9 points per game and led the team with 49 three-pointers in his junior year and he had one of his fondest moments playing basketball at Canyon.. “In high school I had a great coach in Brad Lacy. He helped me land here. I also got a chance to go to the playoffs every year so that was a fun experience. The best memory I had from playing high school basketball is hitting a buzzer beater against our rival team and we kind of stormed the court with our team and staff… that was a pretty cool moment. That moment is surreal. when it happens you just celebrate with your teammates, and later it finally sets in that it happened, but it does not feel real at that time,” Karrer said.
After graduating from high school Karrer said he came to UTSA because he wanted to be close to his family so they can see him play. Since New Braunfels is not too far from San Antonio Karrer said it was an easy decision. Karrer also said he was recruited really hard, and once he made the decision to come to UTSA, the staff made the team feel like a family.
Besides basketball, Karrer said he really loves football. One of his hobbies is playing fantasy football. If he had the first pick in a fantasy draft, he said he would likely pick Todd Gurley. Karrer also enjoys the outdoors, and he said he will play any sport with a ball rolling around.
Karrer is currently a senior and a history major at UTSA. He said he would one day like to become a teacher or coach and be apart of athletic administration. Upon graduation he said he will pursue his master’s degree. Karrer also said he loves being a roadrunner. “I’ve grown really close to this school. I have been here for four years, so getting to put that Roadrunner on my jersey before every game, suit up and just play with these guys is awesome, Karrer said.”
“This is like a second family, so definitely that bond that I have made with these guys and just playing my heart out every night and getting to do it in front of people and doing what I love and having the support of the university behind me is really special to me.”
Karrer said he is for what the sport of basketball has done for his life. ‘It gave me free education, so I can’t say enough about what’s that done for me. It’s giving my family the opportunity to meet new people and come see me play sports. It’s giving me another family. I love doing it (playing basketball) and there’s nowhere else I would rather spend my time.”
Since Karrer is a senior he will soon play his final game. He has played for UTSA all four years, but he said this has been his best year with the team, and he hopes they can make some noise in the conference tournament and beyond.
