2 SMU Signees in THSCA All-Star Game This Tuesday
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 4:24 pmfrom the Austin American-Statesman:http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/07/30coaches.html
by Rick Cantu
Mack Brown and Rick Barnes should entertain captive — if not overflowing — audiences when they speak to the state's high school coaches this week.
For the first time since 1950, the annual Texas High School Coaches Association coaching school will be in Austin. Approximately 15,000 coaches, from football to track, are expected to pack the Austin Convention Center for three days of instruction and networking.
"This is a huge deal for us," said Cynthia Maddox, communications director for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The numbers don't lie. The three-day convention will provide an economic boost of $17 million to the area. By comparison, the 2005 convention in San Antonio drew 12,600 coaches who pumped in an estimated $13 million in restaurants, hotels and shopping, the city's visitors bureau said.
In Austin, convention and visitors bureau officials are anticipating that coaches will spend 29 percent of their money on food, 23.5 percent on shopping, 17.6 percent on entertainment, 6.3 percent on transportation and 4.2 percent on flights.
The convention, which runs Monday through Wednesday at the convention center, will include an all-star basketball game Monday night at the Erwin Center and an all-star football game Tuesday night at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The convention also will be home to some 800 exhibit booths and vendors, promoting products from sports equipment to financial planning.
From an economic standpoint, this will have the largest impact in Austin for a high school sports event ever. By comparison, the annual UIL boys and girls state basketball tournaments net about $7.4 million, the Texas Relays bring in about $7 million and the weeklong UIL state tennis, golf and track events each May bring in $7 million, Maddox said.
The $17 million that the city expects to bring in this week is comparable to a University of Texas home football game, which draws about 27,000 out-of-town visitors and brings an economic impact of $18 million.
But the convention is important in other ways too, said Austin ISD athletic director Tommy Cox.
"This convention connects coaches across the state," Cox said. "It is a great opportunity for coaches to develop their skills, and therefore provide youngsters a chance to be more successful in the classroom, on the field of play, and in life."
Historically, the annual THSCA convention has rotated between Fort Worth and Houston. That changed in 2005, when San Antonio played host. Next year, the convention will be in San Antonio again.
Austin has not been in the mix to play host in the past because the city did not have a facility large enough to hold 10,000 or more coaches. With the 2002 addition of the 900,000-square foot convention center and the 800-room Hilton hotel two years later, Austin now has become an "ideal" location for the event, said Maury Salinger, THSCA spokesman.
Brown, coming off a national championship season at Texas, will give two coaching lectures Monday, the first about offense, the second about practice and game planning. Barnes, who has guided his Texas men's basketball teams to the NCAA tournament the past seven years, is scheduled to speak at the same time in a different room at the convention center.
Two Central Texas standouts will participate in Monday night's all-star basketball game. Texas A&M-bound guard Bryan Beasley of Pflugerville and Westwood guard Ashton Mitchell, heading to Sam Houston State, will play for the North squad.
Two Longhorn signees also will play — guard Justin Moore of Amarillo Palo Duro and Dexter Pittman, a 6-10, 320-pound center from Rosenberg Terry.
Central Texans in the all-star football game are Wimberley linebacker Jacob Biddle (Naval Academy), McCallum defensive end Broderick Marshall (Tyler JC), San Marcos running back Jordan Walker (Cisco JC), New Braunfels High quarterback Zach Rhodes (SMU), Hutto offensive lineman Lee Gonzales (SMU), Pflugerville running back Antwan Cobb, Hays offensive lineman Jacob Posey (Texas A&M) and Connally linebacker Nathan Mann (undecided).
Eight Longhorn football signees will play — Texas High linebacker Dustin Earnest, Longview running back Vondrell McGee and Rowlett linebacker Jared Norton, Boerne kicker Lawrence Hunter, Hearne receiver Montre Webber, North Shore defensive back Chyke Brown, West Orange Stark receiver Kenneth Beasley, Kilgore tight end Britt Mitchell and Port Arthur Memorial running back Robert Joseph.
Also, the THSCA will induct six members into its Hall of Honor: Former Fort Worth Dunbar basketball coach Robert Hughes; Highland Park football coach Randy Allen; former Denison football coach Marty Criswell; former Diamond Hill-Jarvis football coach George Kirk; and A&M Consolidated football coach Jim Slaughter.
by Rick Cantu
Mack Brown and Rick Barnes should entertain captive — if not overflowing — audiences when they speak to the state's high school coaches this week.
For the first time since 1950, the annual Texas High School Coaches Association coaching school will be in Austin. Approximately 15,000 coaches, from football to track, are expected to pack the Austin Convention Center for three days of instruction and networking.
"This is a huge deal for us," said Cynthia Maddox, communications director for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The numbers don't lie. The three-day convention will provide an economic boost of $17 million to the area. By comparison, the 2005 convention in San Antonio drew 12,600 coaches who pumped in an estimated $13 million in restaurants, hotels and shopping, the city's visitors bureau said.
In Austin, convention and visitors bureau officials are anticipating that coaches will spend 29 percent of their money on food, 23.5 percent on shopping, 17.6 percent on entertainment, 6.3 percent on transportation and 4.2 percent on flights.
The convention, which runs Monday through Wednesday at the convention center, will include an all-star basketball game Monday night at the Erwin Center and an all-star football game Tuesday night at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The convention also will be home to some 800 exhibit booths and vendors, promoting products from sports equipment to financial planning.
From an economic standpoint, this will have the largest impact in Austin for a high school sports event ever. By comparison, the annual UIL boys and girls state basketball tournaments net about $7.4 million, the Texas Relays bring in about $7 million and the weeklong UIL state tennis, golf and track events each May bring in $7 million, Maddox said.
The $17 million that the city expects to bring in this week is comparable to a University of Texas home football game, which draws about 27,000 out-of-town visitors and brings an economic impact of $18 million.
But the convention is important in other ways too, said Austin ISD athletic director Tommy Cox.
"This convention connects coaches across the state," Cox said. "It is a great opportunity for coaches to develop their skills, and therefore provide youngsters a chance to be more successful in the classroom, on the field of play, and in life."
Historically, the annual THSCA convention has rotated between Fort Worth and Houston. That changed in 2005, when San Antonio played host. Next year, the convention will be in San Antonio again.
Austin has not been in the mix to play host in the past because the city did not have a facility large enough to hold 10,000 or more coaches. With the 2002 addition of the 900,000-square foot convention center and the 800-room Hilton hotel two years later, Austin now has become an "ideal" location for the event, said Maury Salinger, THSCA spokesman.
Brown, coming off a national championship season at Texas, will give two coaching lectures Monday, the first about offense, the second about practice and game planning. Barnes, who has guided his Texas men's basketball teams to the NCAA tournament the past seven years, is scheduled to speak at the same time in a different room at the convention center.
Two Central Texas standouts will participate in Monday night's all-star basketball game. Texas A&M-bound guard Bryan Beasley of Pflugerville and Westwood guard Ashton Mitchell, heading to Sam Houston State, will play for the North squad.
Two Longhorn signees also will play — guard Justin Moore of Amarillo Palo Duro and Dexter Pittman, a 6-10, 320-pound center from Rosenberg Terry.
Central Texans in the all-star football game are Wimberley linebacker Jacob Biddle (Naval Academy), McCallum defensive end Broderick Marshall (Tyler JC), San Marcos running back Jordan Walker (Cisco JC), New Braunfels High quarterback Zach Rhodes (SMU), Hutto offensive lineman Lee Gonzales (SMU), Pflugerville running back Antwan Cobb, Hays offensive lineman Jacob Posey (Texas A&M) and Connally linebacker Nathan Mann (undecided).
Eight Longhorn football signees will play — Texas High linebacker Dustin Earnest, Longview running back Vondrell McGee and Rowlett linebacker Jared Norton, Boerne kicker Lawrence Hunter, Hearne receiver Montre Webber, North Shore defensive back Chyke Brown, West Orange Stark receiver Kenneth Beasley, Kilgore tight end Britt Mitchell and Port Arthur Memorial running back Robert Joseph.
Also, the THSCA will induct six members into its Hall of Honor: Former Fort Worth Dunbar basketball coach Robert Hughes; Highland Park football coach Randy Allen; former Denison football coach Marty Criswell; former Diamond Hill-Jarvis football coach George Kirk; and A&M Consolidated football coach Jim Slaughter.
