UCI men get boost

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team’s schedule got a little bit easier Thursday, when UC Riverside star Kyle Austin announced he will forgo his senior season to pursue a professional career.

Austin earned first-team All-Big West Conference laurels in both seasons with the Highlanders, after transferring from USC.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior last season, after producing 16.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest as a sophomore.

In four regular-season games against UCI, including a pair of wins over the Anteaters last season, Austin averaged 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.

UCR finished 12-17, 5-11 in conference last season, when finished last and missed the conference tournament.