Central Texas Pro Sports Roundtable

Hosted by AJ Hoffman of AM 1300 The Zone, the guys who run all of Central Texas’s most popular professional sports teams will meet in an open forum to discuss the opportunities for local athletes and those who aspire to work in the sports industry as well as talk about the challenges and opportunities of operating in Central Texas.

Panelists include:

Host: A.J. Hoffman - AM 1300 The Zone
Jay Miller (Owner/COO/President) Round Rock Express	Peter Lubell (COO) Austin Toros	Jack Dixon (Director of Operations) Austin Turfcats
Kyle Dalton (Director of Marketing) Austin Aztex	Brian Spieles (VP of Marketing) Texas Stars	Matthew Payne (Executive Director) Austin Sports Commission

Toros Hire Super Hot Chick to Coach Cheerleaders

k2tbi3v87q The Austin Toros made one of their most impressive hires of recent memory by hiring former San Antonio Spurs’ Silver Dancer Monica Aguilar, who is super hot, to coach and choreograph for the team’s Capital City Dance team, who are also generally mega-hot. Monica is an Austin native, spent the last two seasons as the hot Siver Dancer’s hottie team captain, and she teaches dance at fitness clubs, which is hot.

Hot chicks who want to work with this hot chick should work on getting hotter between now and September when the Toros host tryouts for hot chicks to become Capital City Dancers for the 2009-2010 season. Cool.

Tickets to The Festival make the Best Father’s Day Present

We’ve done the research and the evidence is overwhelming… the best Father’s Day present possible is tickets to The Texas Testosterone Festival. Tickets go on sale Father’s Day - this Sunday, June 21.

Buy tickets online by clicking here and show the printed receipt to Dad - if he doesn’t begin weeping with joy we’ll be shocked. If he does, pull out the camera and record it. We’ll put it on the website. We have the technology, and we have the popcorn.

Toros Won’t Repeat as D-League Champions

The Austin Toros lost to the rival Colorado 14ers last night 114-111, ending their quest to repeat as D-League Champions. In a repeat of the teams’ previous meetings, the winner had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and the Toros’ superior shooting in the paint was matched by the 14ers superior shooting from the outside. The 14ers were 12 of 22 from 3 point territory while the Toros were only 5 of 16.

Marcus Williams had 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists for a triple-double while Malik Hairston had a game-high 37 points. Both players were on the floor all 48 minutes of the game.

The 14ers’ scoring was led by Sonny Weems who popped in 27 from the bench. The 14ers await the winner of Dakota versus Utah on Monday for the D-League 3 game playoff.

Congratulations to the Austin Toros for another great season of basketball.

The Austin Toros host a Basketball Skills Competition at the 2009 Texas Testosterone Festival. More details as they are available.

Toros Defeat Stampede, Advance in Playoffs

The Austin Toros brought back painful memories for the Idaho Stampede tonight, winning 119-116 in Overtime to advance in the D-League playoffs. The Toros defeated the Stampede last year in the playoffs to win the D-League Championship.

The Toros needed to recover 18 points in the 4th Quarter to tie the game at 113. 

Marcus Williams returned to the Toros from a short stint with the San Antonio Spurs to net 33 while Malik Hairston led the team in scoring with 34.  Williams scored the three pointer to put the game into Overtime and the final basket to put the game away. Combined, Williams and Hairston were 10 of 11 from 3 point territory. Nearly 1000 fans packed the Concordia University Fieldhouse for the nail-biter.

The Toros now take to the road to take on the rival Colorado 14ers, who defeated the Erie Bayhawks yesterday to advance. The matchup date has not yet been announced.

Update: The matchup date has been announced and will be this Saturday night at 8 PM CST in Colorado. Visit the D-League website for information on watching the game live on the web.

Austin Toros Rematch Idaho Stampede in Playoffs

The Austin Toros were the one team without a choice yesterday afternoon - the last of the four teams allowed to select their first round opponent for the D-League playoffs that begin tomorrow. After the Erie Bayhawks, Bakersfield Jam, and Dakota Wizards were chosen by the Colorado 14ers, Utah Flash, and Iowa Energy respectively, the Toros were left with the fifth-ranked Idaho Stampede, a rematch of last year’s D-League finals.

The first round of the playoffs is single-elimination - the Toros will play the Stampede on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM at Concordia University. Tickets are available now by calling 236-8333.

The Toros played the Idaho Stampede twice this season and lost both games - 105 to 94 on December 5 at home and 97 to 94 on January 3 in Idaho. The Toros put together nine straight victories against opposition in between those two games.

The Austin Toros host a Basketball Skills Competition at the 2009 Texas Testosterone Festival. More details as they are available.

Austin Toros Head into Playoffs on Winning Streak

Malik Hairston has retained his leadership of the Austin Toros after leading the team in scoring for a combined 83 points in his last two games and a team 5-1 record in April, leading into the playoffs. The Toros swept the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to complete the season, 106-105, 110-106, and 120-106.

The winning ways for the Toros follows a disastrous, and mostly Malik Hairston-less, March where the team went 2-8 with all but one game on the road.

One position of concern for the Toros could be forward Eric Dawson, who has been providing diminishing returns in his last three starts - 18 points against Reno and then 13 and 10 points in the last two games against Rio Grande Valley, respectively. Dawson did not play in tonight’s game. Forward Ryan Bright started in his stead, scoring 14 points in 41 minutes of play. 

Dwayne Jones looks to be the Toros starting center going into the playoffs. The starting guards will most likely be Stanley Burrell and Squeaky Johnson. Johnson has been playing better of late. His shooting percentage was quite low in March and continues to be sub .500 in April but Squeaky did burst out for 25 points in the final game of the season, hitting 9 of 17 from the floor.

The playoff matchups are to be announced on the D-League website on Sunday at 5:15 PM CST. With the recent victories, the Toros are rewarded with the first round home game.

In other news, Toros coach Quin Snyder was awarded the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award. 

Marcus Williams played 12 seconds for the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. He was -4.

Austin Toros in Final Regular Season Stretch

The Austin Toros have four games in the next five days including tonight, tomorrow night, and Friday night at home. The Toros clinched a place in the playoffs Saturday by defeating the Iowa Energy 129-112.

Despite going 4-8 in their last twelve, including a disastrous month of March mostly spent on the road, the Toros have scored over 100 points in 8 of their last 9 games and have one the last two games since getting star guard Malik Hairston back.

The last four games of the regular season will surely be about getting some team chemistry together for the playoff run. The Toros bench has been used sparingly of late - only seven players got time on the floor Saturday.

The Austin Toros host a Basketball Skills Competition at the 2009 Texas Testosterone Festival. More details as they are available.

Ian Mahinmi Returns to the Toros

With the Austin Toros suffering through a brutal month of March in which the team played nearly every game on the road and came away with only two wins for their bus-punishing efforts, the team was greeted with good news last week with the San Antonio Spurs’ reassignment of Guard Malik Hairston. Today they were greeted with more good news - the reassignment of center Ian Mahinmi.

Mahinmi has spent much of this season with the Spurs, albeit on the DL. A right ankle injury has nagged him all season and was operated on January 31. Recuperation has been on the long end of the 6 to 10 weeks anticipated but Spurs and Toros fans hope the lengthy rehabilitation will bring Mahinmi back to the team in the sort of condition that got him All-NBA D-League First Team honors last season.

The Toros defeated the lowly Tulsa 66ers last night 131-119 by whipping up 41 points in the first quarter and cruising to victory from then on. The win snaps a three game losing streak and secures the Toros second place in the Southwest Division going into the playoffs with five games left. The Toros can clinch a playoff spot by defeating the Iowa Energy this Saturday night at the Austin Convention Center. Be there.

The Austin Toros host a Basketball Skills Competition at the 2009 Texas Testosterone Festival. More details as they are available.

Malik Hairston Returns to Rescue Toros

The Austin Toros were returned guard Malik Hairston yesterday from the San Antonio Spurs to rescue them from a disastrous and long road-trip that has them 2-6 in the month of March and put the cowardly Colorado 14ers 3 games ahead of the Toros in first place.  Only eight games remain in the regular season, five against sub-.500 teams and five at home.

Hairston appeared in 15 games for the Spurs and was an important contributor to an injury-plagued stretch for the Spurs. The question will be whether Hairston replaced new signee DeMarcus Wilson or struggling Ezra Williams in the starting lineup.

Next Page »