Think back to Dec. 10, 2014. The campus had been buzzing all week long. There was something different in the frigid Provo air. The No. 13 Utah Utes were in town to take on the Cougars. BYU was 9-2 on the season and expectations were high. The Marriott Center was sold out and everyone was ready to play.
Nate Austin shoots the ball against Mount St. Mary's in 2013. After recovering from a torn hamstring, Austin looks to lead the Cougars in 2015. (Universe Archives)
Except for Nate Austin.
The senior forward had torn his hamstring just before tip-off.
'I did this simple little stretch, and that's when it snapped,' Austin said. 'Before then, it felt perfectly fine. It wasn't tight or anything. It was like a rubber-band that's stretched too tight and it just snapped.'
He knew something was wrong, but couldn't be removed because BYU had already announced the starters to the officials. The Cougars would have committed a technical foul had they removed him.
As a result, Nate played the first 28 seconds with a torn hamstring. He nearly pulled in a rebound.
'The ball went right off my fingertips,' Nate said. 'But, they still didn't score, so that's good.'
As he hobbled toward the sideline, Nate knew something was wrong because his leg kept giving out, but he said his first thought was focused on the rivalry.
'I grew up being a huge BYU fan, so this rivalry means a lot to me,' Nate said. 'I didn't want that to be my last time playing against the University of Utah.'
Randy Austin, Nate's father, watched his son hobble toward the bench from the stands. He said his first thought was slightly different than his son's.
'You know how hard they all work,' Randy said. 'You're devastated for them. It's the Utah game. His senior season. There are mixed emotions. It's tough.'
The next step for Nate was getting healthy. He had originally planned to return for the last month of the regular season, but stress fractures in his back and the hamstring injury forced him out of practice. By the end of January, Nate knew he was done for the year.
The team went on to compile a 18-7 record after Nate went down, including their run in the West Coast Conference tournament finals and the NCAA tournament as an 11-seed. He described it as 'bittersweet.' He was excited for his teammates, but would rather have been playing.
Instead he had to deal with a lengthy recovery process.
'Really, from December to about May I didn't do much,' he said. 'It was mainly rest. I did some biking, but then in May I really started rehabbing.'
Nate applied for a medical hardship waiver to the WCC at the suggestion of BYU head coach Dave Rose back in January. As he rehabbed his injuries, he was still unsure of his status.
'Once we filed the paperwork, the coaches, the compliance people, they said it would be a quick process,' Nate said. 'It was going to be a couple of weeks, but then a couple weeks turned into three or four months.'
Rose announced in June that Nate was granted the waiver and would return to the team.
Nate's doctor cleared him for practice and contact in July.
Nate said he was confident he'd receive the waiver and he always worked like he'd be returning for his fifth year. He cited his LDS faith as a help to get through the recovery process, saying he 'always knew' what was supposed to happen.
Nate's mother, Leslie Austin, was amazed at her son's positive attitude.
'When I was worried, he was so steady, focused, and positive,' Leslie said. 'I kept expecting negativity. He's so passionate about playing for BYU, so I expected some 'why did this happen to me?' stuff, but it never came. He never got negative, which amazed me.'
Austin gathers the ball during a 2013 game against Weber State. Austin received a medical hardship waiver in June. (Universe Archives)
Nate expects to pick up where he left off last season. His goal is to stay healthy for every practice and game. He emphasized that he wants to be there every step of the way for the Cougars this season.
'I want to be a leader,' Nate said. 'To be a leader, they do the talking, but they're there every step of the way. They're there in easy practices and hard practices. They're there in tough games. They're there every step of the way, and that's what I want to do.'
Nate averaged 6.8 rpg and 3.4 ppg on 52 percent shooting over his last two seasons with the Cougars. He was the team's leading rebounder in 2013-2014, when he averaged nearly eight rebounds per contest. But he said he isn't concerned with numbers.
'I love doing the little things that people don't always notice,' Nate said. 'Because the great teams always have one of those guys.'
There are high expectations for the Cougars this season. The team has a talented roster that includes NCAA single season triple-double record holder Kyle Collinsworth, four-star ESPN recruit Nick Emery, prolific 3-point shooter Chase Fischer, and polished post-threats Kyle Davis, Jamal Aytes and Corbin Kaufusi, among others.
'This can and should be the best team we've had here that I've been a part of,' Nate said. 'We've got the talent, we've got the experience. This team is going to be as good as it wants to be.'
The Cougars begin their regular season on Nov. 13 when they host Utah Valley University.