T-T-Toros Win the Championship!

The Austin Toros defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders (owned and operated by the L.A. Lakers) 122-110 Saturday Night in L.A. to win the franchises' first Championship.

Not too many people may have seen this coming after Game 1 of the D League finals on Tuesday night.  But this championship series was all about heart, character, and determination.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

The series started out rough for Austin.  The Toros dropped a heartbreaking game in overtime 109-101 at home.  To add injury to insult, they lost Impact Player of the Year Eric Dawson within the first minute of the game with a concussion and then announced he was out for Game 2 as well.  To make it even worse, PG Cory Joseph was then recalled by the San Antonio Spurs.

Now all they had to do was win 2 straight games against the D-Fenders, lead by NBA D League Coach of the Year Eric Musselman, who were awarded the  2011-12 NBA Development League's Regular Season Championship having finished the season with an NBA D-League all-time best record of 38-12.  

The D-Fenders were 21-4 at home and hadn't lost a home game since January 28th, including 2 victories against the Toros during that span.  

And they were 5-0 in post season play at that point.

If coach Brad Jones felt like he was taking a knife to a gun fight, he sure didn't show it.

As Greg Ackerman had reported in his CulterMap article " "We'll see what happens when we get to L.A. A lot of people don't think we have a chance [of winning two in row in L.A.], but the guys in that locker room do."

That's really all that matters.

TEAM EFFORT

That belief in the players and the team is what lead to one of the most dramatic victories in D League history.

“We expected to win every game,” said Toros head coach Brad Jones. “We beat one heck of an L.A. D-Fenders team and we did it as a group so I’m really really excited for our guys.”

Sure, Impact Player of the Year Eric Dawson returned from injury and put up 21 points and grabbed 10 boards, and the MVP of the D League Justin Dentmon put up 30 points as well.  But the team is what won this championship. 

Guys like Julian Wright stepping up his game, Brad Wanamaker scoring 12 points higher than his average in the final game, Squeaky Johnson showing his veteran leadership both offensively and defensively, and Terrance Woodbury playing big time in all 3 games helped the Toros win this championship.

In this series, the best team won.

CELEBRATION TIME

Join the Austin Toros as they celebrate their championship this Monday night at 7pm at the Cedar Park Center.  The event and parking is free.  Players and coaches will be signing autographs.

Toros Take Charge Out of Canton - One Win From the NBA Development League Championship Series!

(Austin, Texas)  The Austin Toros stave off elimination, defeating the Canton Charge in Game 2 of the NBA Development League semi finals by 14 points, and are now just one win away from moving onto the Championship series to face the Los Angeles Defenders.

"We know it's going to be a dog fight out there tomorrow night," says Toros F/C Eric Dawson, who had 18 points and 8 rebounds.  "But at the end of the day, we want to be the ones that come out on top.  We're gonna play hard... whatever we got to do to win, so that's our mentality going in."

The Toros take on the Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers) Sunday night at 6pm at the Cedar Park Center in a 'win or go home' elimination game.  Tickets are available at http://www.AustinToros.com.

COMPLETE TEAM EFFORT

In a night where Justin Dentmon was awarded the NBA Development League Most Valuable Player trophy and Eric Dawson was awarded the Impact Player of the Year trophy by Dan Read, the NBA D League president, it was the unheralded players that really stepped up quarter by quarter to make this victory happen.  In the first quarter, Cory Joseph lead the way with 8 points.  In the second quarter, Terrance Woodbury exploded with 11 points.  In the third quarter, Brad Wanamaker put up 9 points. 

"I just thought that tonight was a terrific team effort," said Austin Toros head Basketball coach Brad Jones after the game.  "We moved Flip (Murray) to the bench tonight because we wanted him to run that group tonight.  He had 12 points tonight.  I just told him in there I'm not so sure that a guy has ever dominated a game so much by scoring 12 points.  I thought Flip totally took control of the game in the 2nd half."

“He’s good,” said Canton Charge head Coach Alex Jensen. “He (Flip Murray) knows how to play.”

The fact that the Toros can bring Murray, a veteran of 487 NBA games, off the bench is a pretty clear indication of the talent the Toros possess.  During one stretch in the fourth quarter, all five Austin players on the floor had NBA experience. No player on the Charge has NBA experience.

 "I've harped all year long that we've had good depth and I thought tonight that our depth really showed, said Coach Jones for the Toros.

“If this was a boxing match, we were the one taking the punches,” Charge head coach Alex Jensen said. “They weren’t reacting to us at all. We were reacting to them all night.”

GREAT CHARACTER

The Austin Toros are now 3-0 in elimination games in these playoffs, and looking to go to 4-0 and earn a trip to the Finals.  The fact that they have played so well in these elimination games is a great testament to their character. 

"Really?  I thought it was just great coaching!  Wait a minute, you're telling me this is due to the players and not me?  That's it, I'm done (with this interview)" quipped Coach Jones, in his usual good humored way after the game to the amusement of everyone in the interview room.  "No, you guys have been around all year.  We've got tough guys." 

The Toros are 3-0 against the Charge this year in the Cedar Park Center, winning by 17, 21, and 14 points respectively.  But don't think for a second that Coach Jones is taking tonight's game lightly.

"Canton's a really good team.  Let's not just talk about us, let's talk about how good Canton is.  Those guys are awesome.  Coach Jensen has those guys playing phenomenal. Anytime we can get wins against those guys, they should throw parades for us along Cedar Park Main St... they're really really good, so for us to grind out that win and get back to who we are is an exciting thing."

In an elimination game, anything can happen.

“The beauty of this is we get another go at it,” Canton Coach Alex Jensen said. “I told them that Austin is the team with six NBA players and they can yield to that, or they can believe in themselves.”

THE CEDAR PARK CENTER FANS IMPACT ON THE GAMES

The crowd at the Cedar Park Center was rocking and rolling for the Toros on Saturday night.  It was the third straight playoff game with more than 3,300 people, and Coach Jones is looking for more of the same on Sunday.

"Everybody talks about playoff basketball and how players get more amped up, fired up, and play better," says Coach Jones.  "Well, our Toros Nation has stepped it up in the playoffs.  They have been awesome in all three home games.  I know they'll be out here Sunday, support us, and help us get into the finals!"

Eric Dawson, who was awarded the NBA D League Impact Player of the Year award earlier in the night, agreed with the coach.  "It (the crowd) made us play harder.  We can't let the fans down because they've been with us all year supporting us through thick and thin so this win was really for them.  We appreciate them coming out every night!"

Justin Dentmon, who was awarded with the NBA Development League Most Valuable Player award in the night, spoke about how the large crowds at the Cedar Park Center have impacted the Toros.  "We've been feeding off the crowd a lot.  Once you make a shot, the crowd gets into it, which rattles the other team."


"Stay tuned for Sunday night.  Come show us your support and let's get this win"

JUSTIN DENTMON WINS THE MVP AWARD

A sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Justin Dentmon for winning the 2011-12 NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Award.  Justin's performance this year has been sensational, and while the success this year has been the result of great teamwork, he certainly deserves recognition for his play this year.

Starting in 40 games for your Austin Toros this season Dentmon averaged 22.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 37.2 minutes of action per contest while shooting a highly efficient 46.8% from the floor, 42.9% from three-point range and 87.0% from the free throw line.  Dentmon was instrumental in leading Austin to a franchise best 33-win regular season, Dentmon has topped the 30-point mark six different times this season with the Toros going 4-2 in those games.

For more behind the scenes information, interviews, free prizes, and fan photos, 'Like' us on our Facebook Page at http://www.Facebook.com/AustinToros.

Hoops, Hounds, and Hurtin - Toros Get Bit By the Legends 105-97

(3/11/2012 - Cedar Park, Texas) It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and the Austin Toros felt the dog days of March biting them at the Cedar Park Center on Sunday, falling to the Texas Legends 105-97 in a game that saw 9 ties and 12 lead changes.  While the fans were celebrating 'Hoops and Hounds', where they could bring their pets to the basketball game, the Toros were just trying to stay healthy.

Trying.

Lost for the game were Jamarr Sanders (knee), Josh Davis (back), and Eric Dawson (ribs).

"It's kind of a helpless feeling all of the sudden when you look down and there's only two guys sitting on the bench," said Coach Brad Jones after the game.

The losses of Eric Dawson, who was recently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, and Josh Davis really hurt the Toros ability to keep the Legends off the boards.  Texas out-rebounded the Toros 61-41.  While the Toros showed great spirit defensively, holding the Legends to 40% shooting, the 21 offensive rebounds by the Legends were just too much to handle.

"I thought in the second half our guys really competed, but we just fell a little short," said Jones.

STATS


Justin Dentmon has his shooting stroke going again!  While Justin had a minor drop in shooting percentage recently, he's come back with a vengeance the past two games.  Yesterday, he scored 25 points and today had a season's best 35 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 67% shooting.  Da'Sean Butler also improved to a seasons best 22 points on 7-15 shooting from the field.  Julian Wright pitched in with a double double as well.  Here are the stats from the rest of the team (Source: http://www.AustinToros.com):

INJURY UPDATES

I had a chance to catch up with star Center Eric Dawson after the game and he seemed very optimistic about being able to play in Wednesday's game.  The coach did not give out any specific details on Sanders or Davis, simply stating that they were going to see the Doctor on Monday.  Let's all give some good thoughts to our guys getting healthy and getting back on the court quickly!

DEFENSIVE INTENSITY


For the third straight game, the Austin Toros have held their opponents under 48%, with the last two being 42% and 40% respectively.

"We've worked hard on trying to get better defensively, "says the coach.  "We feel like that's a big key going into the playoffs this year.  I'm not sure we're there yet but at least there's a little bit better effort."

In addition to some new personnel, like adding Josh Davis and Brad Wannamaker, they've also tried some different schemes defensively.

"We've played a lot of zone the last two games too that's helped us keep guys out of the paint."

In a day where we celebrated mans' best friends, the refs were not the Toros' best friend.  Unfortunately, with the increased intensity on defense has come an increased number of fouls, as the Toros sent the Legends to the line 39 times.  The Toros were only sent to the line 16 times.  In a 1-2 possession game, those trips to the foul line can be the difference between a win or a loss. Get

Continued defensive intensity and a little break from the injury bug should help the Toros get back to their winning ways.

NEXT GAME


Some more home cooking will help the Toros as well.  Wednesday night, the Toros take on the 5th best team in the league, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, at the Cedar Park Center at 7:30pm.

"It'll be a tough game," says Coach Jones.  "They play a good up and down pace, so we'll have to play good transition defense.  Hopefully we'll get our guys back healthy."

Wednesday's game is a 'Winning Wednesday' promotion, meaning that, well, let's let Austin Toros F Luke Zeller explain it:

Go Toros!

Austin Toros Watch Party

Finally, the Austin Toros are back in action after the All Star Break!

Lead by All Stars Leo Lyons and Justin Dentmon, the Toros are ready to take on the Texas Legends this Thursday night at 7pm.

While the game is in Dallas, you can still share the experience of an Austin Toros Basketball Game by attending our Watch Party!

Join Toros Nation on Thursday Night at Big Daddy's Burger to cheer on your Austin Toros at 7pm.

All fans that attend the 'Watch Party' will be entered to win San Antonio Spurs tickets and other great Austin Toros Prizes.

Big Daddy's is holding some specials for us as well:
* 1/2 off appetizers
* 23oz draft beers for the price of 16oz
* $2 Tecate

Big Daddy's Burgers and Bar is located at 9070 Research Blvd Ste 101 (Off 183 and Burnett). Share the experience...Go Toros!

Austin Toros Basketball | Girls Night Out 3/8/3012

A Message From the Austin Toros Players:  Justin Dentmon, Squeaky Johnson, and Leo Lyons

Austin Toros Basketball - http://www.AustinToros.com

Join the Austin Toros for 'Girls Night Out' Presented by Cedar Park Regional Medical Center - March 8th at 7-30pm at the Cedar Park Center.  The Austin Toros will take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce.  Tickets available at http://www.AustinToros.com.

Former Olympian Athlete and WNBA Player Marion Jones will be speaking at 5:30pm.  The Toros will wear pink uniforms which will be auctioned off DURING the game so come out and bid on your favorite player's uniform! All proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Resource Center.

The Austin Toros are the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the San Antonio Spurs. If you enjoy Austin Entertainment, then you will enjoy the professional basketball games played at the Cedar Park Center.

Thursday's Game is also 'Thirsty Thursday', which means draft beers will be just $3!

Share the experience!  Go Toros!   http://youtu.be/RTXhsxUu5Jg

Toros 86 the Tulsa 66ers with a 114-87 Victory

(2/22/2012 - Cedar Park, Texas) Home sweet home!

After a rough road trip, the Austin Toros returned to their home stadium and their winning ways, stampeding the Tulsa 66ers 114-87 lead by NBA Development League All Stars Justin Dentmon and Leo Lyons.

Justin Dentmon scored a game high 32 points on a very efficient 10-18 shooting night, including 6 3-pointers, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds.  Leo Lyons put up 19 points and 7 boards as well, hitting on 7 of 10 shots.

The Toros took a 9 point lead into the half off a last second 3 point shot by Squeaky Johnson, but the Toros really turned it on in the second half, outscoring Tulsa 58-40, reversing the recent trend of struggling in the second half of games. 

Listen to ESPN Austin's Stew Myrick and Lincoln Rose share their post game analysis of the Austin Toros game:

"We've been focusing on being more tough coming out of half time, more mentally tough," says Toros PG and Player of the Game Justin Dentmon.  "We've been going into half time with a good lead or close and we give it away."  

The Toros definitely played two solid halves in this one.  Overall, the Toros shots 58% from the field, 46% from the 3 point line, and 80% from the charity stripe.  This improved scoring has been the focus of practices of late.

"We've been scoring under 100 points, which is not like us.  We're one of the top scoring teams in the league.  We want to get our number up there, and then we'll be successful," says Dentmon.

NEW FACES TO THE TEAM

The Cedar Park Center welcomed the home debut of two new players Julian Sensley and Ronald Allen, each who contributed nicely with 16 and 7 points respectively.

But perhaps the biggest addition is the return of fan favorite Squeaky Johnson to the team.  Squeaky pitched in with 11 points and 8 assists, giving Coach Brad Jones 2 capable point guards who are comfortable playing off the ball as well.  With two solid ball handling guards capable of playing together, Toros fans can expect to see their team eclipsing the century mark consistently.

HEAD COACH BRAD JONES


As a special treat for Toros fans, head coach Brad Jones let us into the locker room after the game to hear the victorious speech.  Here is the clip Brad Jones addressing the team:

 NEXT UP FOR THE TOROS

The Toros coaching staff and players will enjoy the All Star Break this coming weekend, then take a trip to Dallas for 2 games against the Texas Legends.  The Toros are 5-0 this year against the Legends, so you can bet they're going to come out wanting Toros blood.  Tune into NBA Futurecast to watch the games.

The Toros return to the Cedar Park Center on Thursday, March 8, at 7:30pm to take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce.  The Skyforce are owned and operated by the Heat, Magic, and Timberwolves and feature such stars as Anthony Mason and Trey Guilder.

Thursday's game features 'Thirsty Thursday' for fans with $3 draft beers available.  Also, March 8th is Austin Toros 'Girls Night Out' sponsored by the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.  Former Olympic Athlete and WNBA player Marion Jones will be speaking at 5:30pm and the Toros will be auctioning off Pink Toros Jerseys during the game.  For more information on tickets, please visit www.AustinToros.com.

Share the experience!  Go Toros!

Toros Update (Week of 1/23/2012)

Toros Continue Sizzling Start

The Austin Toros continued to build on the best start in league history by sweeping the Idaho Stampede on Friday and Saturday for a pair of wins.  Justin Dentmon averaged 23 points per game in this weekend’s games coming off of an NBA D-League Player of the Week nod.

Playoff Push Continues

#1 Austin Toros 18-4

#2 Iowa Energy 16-6

#3 Los Angeles D-Fenders 17-8

#4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 15-9

#5 Bakersfield Jam 12-10

#6 Tulsa 66ers 12-12

#7 Reno Bighorns 11-12

#8 Springfield Armor 11-12

Squeaky Johnson Coming to Your TV

The Toros parent team, the San Antonio Spurs, will be visiting the New Orleans Hornets tonight on FOX Sports Southwest.  This will be the Spurs first matchup with the team that has Squeaky under roster.  It will air at 7 PM.

What’s up next?

The Toros will travel to Iowa on Friday to play the team currently right behind them in the standings at 7 PM.  The game can be seen online at www.AustinToros.com for free.  Next week, the Toros will host a back to back at the Cedar Park Center.  The Rio Grande Valley Vipers will visit on Tuesday January 31^st at a special time of 11 AM followed by a game the next night on February 1^st at 7:30 PM.

Join us on Tuesday, January 24^th for Trivia Night with the Austin Toros

This Tuesday the 24^th, The Dig Pub in Cedar Park will host “Binge Thinking Trivia Night with the Austin Toros.”  This event will take place at The Dig Pub located at 401 Cypress Creek Rd. from 7-9pm.  Bring your friends, create a team to compete in a game of trivia and be teamed up with a player from the Austin Toros to play with you.  Win prizes and try The Dig Pub’s great line-up of food and beer!

Do you follow the Austin Toros on Facebook and Twitter?

Stay up-to-date on Toros breaking news, score updates and special offers by following the Toros on Facebook (www.facebook.com/austintoros), Twitter (www.twitter.com/austintoros), and Google+ (www.gplus.to/AustinToros). 

Coach Taylor Jenkins radio interview

Listen to Asst. Coach Taylor Jenkins talk Toros basketball to our good friends at 104.9FM the Horn.

Coach Jenkins Interview

Video Highlights

Toros vs. Idaho 1/21 - http://www.nba.com/dleague/video/2012/01/22/HighlightsAUSIDA012112flv-1974075

Toros vs. Idaho 1/20 - http://www.nba.com/dleague/video/2012/01/21/highlightsausida012012flv-1973085

Toros Charge Past Canton 114-97 To Improve to 16-4

(1/18/2012 - Cedar Park, Texas) The Austin Toros improved to 9-1 at the Cedar Park Center and 16-4 overall by defeating the Canton Charge 114-97.  The 16-4 start ties the single best record for an NBA D League team to start out the season.

Toros Coach Brad Jones

"It's really exciting," says Coach Brad Jones after the game on his team's historic start.  "We have a group of really good guys who have bought into what we're trying to do in our system.  We've had a really good start to the season and hopefully it will pay off..."

Da'Sean Butler and NBA Development League Performer of the Week Justin Dentmon lead the way for the Austin Toros, each scoring 21 points. 

Eric Dawson delivered yet another double double (his 11th for the season) with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Leo Lyons added a strong 15 points with 14 boards off the bench.  6 players scored in double figures for the Toros as they shot over 51% from the field and 47% from the 3 point line.

Box Score Courtesy of NBA D League

The defensive intensity was there tonight as well.  After spotting the Charge with a 20-11 lead, the Toros stormed back with a 16-2 run to take control of the game.  Former NBA player Keith McLeod lead the way for the Charge with 12 points in the 1st quarter alone.  But the Toros clamped down after that, holding the Charge to shooting 41% from the field.

"We really have worked hard on being a good defensive team," says Coach Jones.  "We feel like we're a really good offensive transition team and when we are able to get stops... we're really really good in transition."

So what happened early in the game that allowed Canton to get off to such a great start?

"We had talked about the pick and roll coverage we wanted to have on him (McLeod) but we didn't do a very good job of executing it during the early part of the game," states the Coach.  "Then we figured it out and I thought we did an excellent job."

The Toros now catch a 7AM flight to snowy Idaho for a back to back game this Friday and Saturday.  The next home game for the Toros is the 1/31 11am Matinee Game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.  The next night game is 2/1 at 7:30pm against the same Vipers.

Video of Coach Brad Jones after the game:

Austin Toros Update

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Here’s a little update on your Austin Toros:

Toros Win Streak Survives Road Test

The Austin Toros defeated the Tulsa 66ers 91-90 Sunday afternoon in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The Toros battled back from a 12-point 4^th quarter deficit to keep their win streak alive at seven.  Justin Dentmon led the Toros in scoring with 23 points.

NBA D-League Playoff Picture Update

#1 Austin Toros 12-3

#2 Iowa Energy 12-4

#3 Los Angeles D-Fenders 13-6

#4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 11-7

#5 Tulsa 66ers 9-7

#6 Bakersfield Jam 9-7

#7 Springfield Armor 8-8

#8 Dakota Wizards 7-7

Toros Games on National TV This Week

Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2:45, the Toros will play on NBA TV against the Erie Bayhawks.  Thursday at noon, the Toros will once again play on NBA TV against the Dakota Wizards.  All games are also free to watch online at www.NBA.com/dleague.

Squeaky Update

Former Austin Toros point guard Squeaky Johnson scored a career high of 9 points and dished out 2 assists in 17 minutes of action for the New Orleans Hornets Saturday night against the World Champion Dallas Mavericks.

Home Cooking

The Toros will play 4 road games before they return home to host Canton on Wednesday January 18^th.  The Toros are currently 8-1 at home.

Have a great week!

Legend Killers! Toros Take Down the Texas Legends 108-93

Eric Dawson and Leo Lyons Celebrate
as they pull away from the Legends

(Cedar Park, TX - January 7, 2012)- The 11-3 Austin Toros take down the Texas Legends for the 4th time this year with a 108-93 victory in front of an electrifying crowd at the Cedar Park Center.

Justin Dentmon led all scorers with an impressive 31 points and 8 rebounds.

Despite playing against former NBA big men Yi Jianlian, Greg Ostertag, and Sean Williams, the double-double machine Eric Dawson cranked out his sixth of the year with  18 points and 12 rebounds.

"When we found out that they (Legends) sent some guys down, it made me even more energetic," said Dawson after the game.  "I wanted to prove to people that I could play at a high level - the NBA level."

A double double against a couple of NBA player sure helped Eric Dawson make his case.

"I'm super excited about the win," said a much happier Coach Brad Jones tonight.  "This was a game our guys very easily could have lost, but our guys figured out a way to win.  I thought we had a much better urgency tonight, and I thought our depth in the end...was the difference in the game."

Click below to watch Highlights from last nights game as well as a recap from 104.9 FM the Horn's Ari Tempkin and Stew Myrick, who called the  game:

Leo Lyons

Leo Lyons had his best all around game of the season since coming back from a foot injury with 14 points and 7 boards.  Lance Thomas helped out with 11 pts and Da'Sean Butler pitched in with 8 as well. Despite being 'outsized' by the Legends, the Toros still managed to out rebound the Legends 59-49, showing how much heart and hustle this team plays with.

"I'm not going to lie and say it was easy," joked Leo Lyons about going up against the former NBA big men for the Legends.  "Greg Ostertag is a big load.  It's hard to move him out of that paint when he gets locked in.  We battled..."

Lyons didn't play in his first game until after Christmas this year due to his foot injury.  How's he coming along?

"It's a little sore right now," admits Lyons.  "But it's getting there.  The doctor says it's going to take awhile to get back to where I was but I'm just happy to be out there playing again."

Box Score courtesy of NBA D League

CEDAR PARK CENTER CROWD

Photo Courtesy of
AlphaandOmega SportsClub

The Toros played in front of the loudest and largest crowd of the season, just under 4,000 Toros fans, as well as their first game on national television.

"It was a great crowd tonight," said Austin Toros head coach Brad Jones.  "We appreciate the fans coming out tonight... We'll see them back here when we play Canton in a week and a half."

Did having a huge crowd help the Toros energy level on the 2nd game of a back to back?

"It helped alot!" said Leo Lyons, of the crowd's energy.  "We played yesterday so we needed the crowd's energy to go out there and do the things we need to do on the defensive end."

"It was cool," agreed Eric Dawson. "The crowd gave us energy.  We fed off of them and went out there and gave them 110%."

"They cheered.  A couple key free throws that they (the Legends) missed, I think Ostertag even air balled one, they were screaming so loud.  I just appreciate the fans for coming out," says a smiling Leo Lyons.

The next home game for the Austin Toros is Wednesday, January 18th at 7:30pm at the Cedar Park Center against the Canton Charge.  It's a 'Winning Wednesday', sponsored by Taco Bueno, meaning that if the Toros win, then you can bring in your ticket stub to the next 'Winning Wednesday' home game and receive a FREE TICKET! C'mon out and share the experience of a Toros home game.

Click below to watch the full interview with Eric Dawson, Leo Lyons, and Brad Jones:

On a final note:  Love was in the air at the Cedar Park Center last Friday.  Congratulations to Aron Lofton and Rachel Henderson on their engagement.  Aron Lofton popped the question during the Cedar Park Jewelry 'Kiss Cam' segment at the Austin Toros game.  This is the first time a marriage proposal has ever happened during a nationally televised NBA D League game, and thankfully the Toros weren't the only winners that night... Rachel Henderson said 'Yes'.  We wish you both a long and happy marriage!

Toros Declaw the Red Claws 109-103 In the Debut of Cory Joseph

(Cedar Park, TX) - Welcome back to Austin, Cory Joseph and Lance Thomas.

Cory Joseph

Cory Joseph, the former University of Texas Longhorn PG and 1st round pick of the San Antonio Spurs, made his victorious debut with the (10-3) Austin Toros tonight, scoring 11 points, with 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 31 minutes.

"It was a little bit of a slow start, but I feel like I got the first one out of the way and tomorrow I'll come back even stronger," said Joseph after the game.  "Yesterday was my first practice...we're in here working our butts off.  I want to see the fans come in here, show some support, and we won't let you down."

Lance Thomas, the former Duke product, made his return after a brief stint in the NBA with the New Orleans Hornets.  Thomas didn't look like he missed a beat, putting up 18 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

"I thought Lance Thomas was terrific," said Coach Brad Jones.

Not to be forgotten, Eric Dawson put up another double-double (12 points and 10 boards), his fifth of this short season, and Justin Dentmon was the player of the game with a game high 24 points.  Once again, Justin was solid from the free throw line with under a minute left to ice the game.

"Don't miss a free throw", says Dentmon, when asked what goes through his mind when he's at the charity stripe in a pressure situation.  "If I do miss one, miss the second one...because the first one really carries you over to the second one."

The Toros take on the Texas Legends on Friday at 7:30pm at the Cedar Park Center.

"It's gonna be a tough game tomorrow night," said coach Jones.  "We've handled them 3 straight times, so you know, if they got anything to them, they're going to want to beat us...I hope our fans come out and support us tomorrow night."

"It's gonna be a tough matchup," says Dentmon.  "Let's get a win!"

Box Score courtesy of NBA D League.

Coaches Corner

Despite a 6 point victory, Austin Toros Head Coach Brad Jones was not necessarily thrilled with his teams' performance.

"I'm not excited about a lot of things, the way we played.  I thought we started the game off with the wrong mentality.  I didn't feel like we wanted to touch anybody on the defensive end... To our credit, as the game went on, we got a little better toughness about us, but I'm very happy we won the game because we did not play the typical Toros game," said Coach after the game.  "We did not have the same passion about being a good team as we've had to this point in the season."

So what are the things that the Coach wants his team to work on?

"We talk alot about being accountable and getting to the right spot, both offensively and defensively.  It's amazing when we do those simple things, then we're really really good.  There were a lot of times tonight we couldn't get to the right spot...that's what's unacceptable in my mind.  I understand guys trying to feel out... but at the same time, you still know where to get on offense and you still know where you're supposed to be on defense.  When we get it together, we're good."

They were good enough tonight for a win. Part of the reason that the team didn't play up to the Coach's standards may have to do with lack of familiarity with each other. Of course, as is the norm with D League basketball, there were roster shakeups this week, with the return of Forward Lance Thomas and the debut of G Cory Joseph.

"I think that's a little bit why we were out of sorts tonight.  It's 2 major guys coming in; 2 NBA guys," said Jones.  "Those are two really good players and we're excited to have them."

Coach Jones on the debut of Cory Joseph:

"He's like a little blur out there," said joked Jones of Cory's speed.  "Now he's just got to learn how to use it a little bit better.     You gotta remember, he should be a sophomore in college and he hasn't played much pro basketball.  He got...31 minutes tonight, so that's the most minutes he's gotten combined in pro basketball, so it'll be a process for him but that's why he's here."

Coach Jones on the possibility of Manu Ginobili rehabbing in Austin with the Toros:

"He'd make me look like a good coach if he played for me," laughed Jones.  "I have no idea, I think that's 6-8 weeks away.  But I'd be all for it!"

Watch the entire player's and coach's interviews below:

The Power of UT Basketball

It happened.  In the three years that I've been running the Toros, I've been asked one or two thousand times if having players from the University of Texas would help sell more tickets and expedite the growth of the Toros brand.  Now we get to find out.  At 1:16pm today I received the official news that the San Antonio Spurs have assigned UT's own Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros and his debut will take place this Thursday night at 7:30pm as the Toros take on the Maine Red Claws.

We all know that UT football fans will follow their team across the country for a bowl game and watch them every Sunday in the NFL, and now I'm hoping UT basketball fans and alumni follow one of their three first round draft picks in last year's NBA Draft just 20 minutes north of the Capitol to watch his development on the next level at the Cedar Park Center.  After all, playing for the burnt orange for just a single season must have left fans wanting more, right?

In a lockout-shortened NBA season, it's become even more important for young players like Cory to get as many minutes on the court as possible to continue his development.  And thanks to the NBA Development League, we all get to witness that development right here in Austin.

So I call out to all University of Texas alumni and fans of the burnt orange and invite you to come up to the Cedar Park Center to show your support for one of your own.  He may now adorn the Silver and Black of the Spurs and Toros, but a Longhorn he will always be.  It's not often we have this opportunity so let's have some fun with it!

So here's to you Cory Joseph...Hook 'Em!