Washington Huskies: Pros & Cons of Austin Seferian-Jenkins' Move to Basketball

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Playing any collegiate sport is a daunting task for an incoming freshman, but tackling two like TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, is downright terrifying.

The possibility of getting hurt or just falling flat on your face can make any hardened athlete hesitate, but ASJ has made the decision to make his transition from gridiron to hardwood.

Unfortunately, transferring from one sport to another brings its own set of pros and cons to the table.

Here is a list of a few things ASJ may encounter in his trade of cleats for sneakers. 

Pro: Height

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If there's one thing this kid has, it's the height.

A towering 6'6'' (unless he decides to jump), Austin Seferian-Jenkins will definitely be a great asset to the Dawgs' court.

Displaying great athleticism on the football field and aggressively reaching to make a play, ASJ proved that all that height won't go to waste.

Pro: Physicality

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One thing that Austin Seferian-Jenkins brings to the table is his ability to take a hit.

With the rough and tumble nature of basketball, the freshman will have to get used to not having pads, but at 258 pounds its going to take a brick wall to do much damage.

His ability to take a hit and keep moving forward will prove a valuable skill for the Dawgs and a niche for Seferian-Jenkins to make a name for himself.

Pro: Used to the Pressure

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Going into a college sport for the first time is nerve wracking at best, and when faced with rabid fans it can become a veritable pressure cooker.

But for Seferian-Jenkins that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, he's actually downsizing the crowd he plays in front of, so if anything he can breathe a sigh of relief.

Con: Muscle Training

Okay, now on to the not so good stuff.

The problem with switching from one sport to another is the physical differences between the sports.

Football calls for muscle strength that can actually hinder a basketball player, and in this ASJ has a problem. He has to tone down muscles that do him no good on the hardwood and strengthen different ones.

The real problem is once he finally gets the muscles he needs for basketball perfectly honed, he's going to have to start retraining for football.

In the grand scheme of things, ASJ has to be careful in his training or he may end up not playing any sport due to injury.

Con: Cardio

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Along with training muscles, Seferian-Jenkins has to worry about building up his cardiovascular system.

Football calls for short, quick bursts of energy that last a few seconds at most.

But basketball is a game that flows, sometimes with over three minutes of constant movement up and down the court.

With this in mind, ASJ needs to wrap his head around being in the game for the long run and not petering out on the court.

Con: Hand-Eye Coordination

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Catching a football has become second nature to Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but shooting a basketball is something ASJ is going to have to work on.

Hand-eye coordination is essential to making a shot, either still or moving.

Football can help a player know spatially where his body is and how it moves, but basketball requires more than that. A player needs to not only know how to catch a pass or snag a rebound. They also need to know how to make a shot.

With little practice of this during football season, ASJ has his work cut out for him.

ASJ needs to get a firm standing in making his shots in order to keep up with the rest of the Dawg pack on the court.

Leap of Faith

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Well, Austin Seferian-Jenkins is making the switch from turf to hardwood and has a long road ahead to make a name for himself.

But who knows, he may surprise us all.

Does the name Nate Robinson ring a bell?