Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Austin Rapp is a freshman on the University of Portland men’s basketball team. Rapp has made his mark on the court this year, earning six WCC Freshman of the Week awards, the 2024-25 WCC Freshman of the Year award and recording several impressive statistics to kick off his career with the Pilots. In a press conference following the Pilots’ last game of the WCC tournament, Rapp had high praise for his teammates and family when asked about his awards.
“I credit my teammates…” Rapp said. “They bought into what I was here to do straight away, and they believed in me the whole way. My sister had a great five years of college basketball and my brother’s still playing…I also credit them. They push me every day…and I really appreciate that.”
After high school, Rapp said few people believed in him, but his relationships with UP players and coaches, particularly Head Coach Shantay Legans, influenced his decision to join the team.
“I wasn’t really noticed, and I didn’t really have many people believe in me,” Rapp said. “I’ve known Coach Legans since I was eight years old… he’s always believed in me. The relationships I gathered with the coaching staff [and] players when I came on my visit stuck with me.”
Legans has watched Rapp grow and develop on and off the court throughout his youth and during his first season with the Pilots. He says that Rapp has learned from older players to become a great leader and that he continues to mature every day.
Associate Head Coach Bobby Suarez said that Rapp’s belief and trust in the program have been key to his development as a college basketball player. Rapp’s trust in his coaches is shown through their high praise for him.
“Austin came here, and he believed in us, [and] he trusted us,” Suarez said. “He’s sticking with our gameplan for him and the hard work that he puts in every day is showing on the court. It’s really cool to see as a coach and as a guy who looks at him as a little brother.”
Rapp dribbles against incoming defenders. Photo courtesy of Austin Rapp.
Rapp ended the 2024-25 WCC regular season leading in 3-PT field goal percentage with .319, and finished eighth in the league for rebounding and 12th for scoring. He said that his teammates and coaches have helped him get these impressive awards and stats.
“It’s pretty cool to be recognized in such a good conference as one of the best freshmen,” Rapp said. “My teammates do a really good job of getting me open. Also, the coaching staff do a really good job of putting in their plays for me to get shots.”
Although Rapp has always been a good shooter, he has continued to work on his shooting to become the best basketball player he can be.
“For me, it’s just reps,” Rapp said. “I’ve always been a pretty good shooter, and I’ve always been a confident shooter. I feel like I’ve taken another step in my shooting. It’s a combination of my confidence, but also the [confidence of] people around me making sure that I get open shots.”
In addition to his shooting, Legans said that Rapp has been key for the Pilot’s defense.
“He’s been a good anchor for us defensively,” Legans said. “He gets over six rebounds a game, and he’s very talented offensively. He’s probably one of the most talented freshmen in the country, and he’s proven that night in and night out…When he plays well, our team is really successful.”
Outside of basketball, Rapp enjoys spending time with his teammates to watch basketball or just hang out.
“I live in a house with nine other teammates, so we hang out all the time,” Rapp said. “I think this is honestly one of the closest teams I’ve been on in terms of [being] off the court. We’re really close, and they’re all really good people. [We have] chemistry, and it definitely [translates onto] the court.
Rapp says that his strength and confidence on the court also come from his trust in the coaching staff. Suarez says that Rapp’s leadership as a person off the court and as a young player is key to the team's success and his individual growth.
“He’s a guy that does all the right things,” Suarez said. “He’s genuinely just a good person and has a feel [for] how to talk to people. I think it helps him when he needs to lead on the court and talk to his teammates or talk to a referee… He helps the team, [and] he’s a threat out there…he checks all the boxes.”
Legans believes that this leadership on the court is a testament to his maturity and professionalism.
“He’s been a great leader,” Legans said. “When we’re out there, he helps the guys [and] he talks them through things. When it’s about basketball and his academics, he’s really mature. His leadership has been a plus for us because, coming in, you don’t expect too much out of a freshman. He leads by example at times, and he works really hard.”
Rapp’s hard work on the court has propelled his game to the next level, but he also has his family's love for basketball to thank.
The Rapp family is all about basketball. Austin’s father, Tim Rapp, played for the University of California, San Diego from 1987-91 and was inducted into their Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Rapp shoots over a defender from the 3-point line. Photo courtesy of Austin Rapp.
In addition to his dad's impressive basketball career, both Austin’s sister and brother play collegiate basketball. His sister, Hannah Rapp, plays for Santa Clara University, and his brother, Ryan Rapp, plays for the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
“I don’t think I’d be here without my mom or my dad,” Rapp said. “My dad played college basketball, and he’s been a very big influence on me, and he’s pushed me every day to get better. My mom pushes me to get better, but she’s also the one that pumps me up. It’s honestly something I’ll cherish forever because [their] knowledge of the game is so high.”
Rapp is focused on continuing his good form and improving certain areas of his game over the summer so that he can help the Pilots win more games in the years to come.
“I just want to continue performing at [the level] I am at the moment,” Rapp said. “For me, it’s not about the individual awards. I want to have some success on the floor as a team. That’s the biggest thing for me.”
Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter at The Beacon. He can be reached at hyde25@up.edu.
