AUSTIN PHYFE

Graduate Assistant

Former all-conference forward Austin Phyfe joined the UNI men's basketball staff as a graduate assistant prior to the start of the 2023-24 season.

A Waverly, Iowa native, Phyfe was the second-ranked high school recruit in the class of 2017 out of Waverly-Shell Rock High School and helped make an impact immediately as a freshman. He appeared in 121 career games with 71 starts for the Panthers, averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, earning First Team All-MVC, MVC First Team Scholar Athlete and NABC All-District Team as a redshirt sophomore in 2019-20 as part of UNI's regular season conference championship team.

Phyfe earned Third Team All-MVC, NABC Second Team All-District and MVC First Team Scholar Athlete honors in 2020-21 with a career-best 12.1 points per game. Health challenges limited his playing time in 2021-22, but his playing time played a key role in Northern Iowa's run to another regular season conference crown and the program's second-ever NIT berth. He would earn academic recognition that season as well as the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award winner, a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award and for MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and Honor Roll.

After missing the 2022-23 season due to continued health challenges, Phyfe medically retired from basketball prior to the 2023-24 season, continuing his role as a student assistant while beginning his pursuit of a master's degree in community health and recreation. He earned his bachelor's degree in elementary and mid-level education from UNI in 2022.

Phyfe currently resides in Cedar Falls with his wife, Abbi, a former UNI volleyball player. He is also the son of former Panther men's basketball standout Steve Phyfe and brother of Aftin Phyfe, a former All-MVC swimmer for the Panthers.