[1] Austin played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and was an honorable mention All-American during his sophomore season.

[1] After his retirement from playing, Austin became a pastor and founded the Raleigh Cougars of the United States Basketball League (USBL) in 1997.

[3] In 2004, Austin was sentenced to 17 years in prison for running a national pyramid scheme in which he stole $16 million from his investors between 1996 and 2000.

[3][4] He swindled the money while serving as a pastor and convinced his victims, including seminar attendees, to invest their money in bonds, overseas trading, real estate and the marketing of products including herbs and weight-loss aids.

[4][5] Austin received an early release from prison and was working at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas as of 2017.