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Author: Russell Dowden

When community becomes family, WillPower Gala.

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Will Allen is a typical 7-year-old athlete. Baseball, football, soccer and basketball were regular seasons in the Allen home but that all changed February 3, 2019. Will and his father, Tim, were leaving baseball practice and were in a devastating car accident near their home. Will was left wheelchair bound as a result of the wreck. 

Will sustained injuries to his C1/C2 vertebrae and T3/T4, which is where the damage is located that created the new reality for this Dripping Springs family. Will underwent an almost 5-hour surgery where the surgeons placed rods and pins in his small back to allow for self-sustained stability down the road after his months/years of recovery ahead of him. 

To know Will is to know unsurpassed determination and grit and as inspiring as it is, it isn’t enough to get him out of that chair. Therapy and hard work will be a part of Will’s everyday reality.  Will is determined to walk again one day and that is the prayer of his family and friends. In the meantime, these are areas where the community can help. It is in the things that affect the day to day for families in situations like this where you can make a difference. 

Therapies recommended:

Physical Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Aquatic Therapy

Equine Therapy

E-Stimulation Therapy

Costs: Although in Will’s case, some therapy is covered right now through insurance however, the recommended numbers of sessions exceed what is included and the cost out of pocket is $250 per session.

Did you know?

Insurance does not cover everything (for Will’s example): 

· Several bills, at least 50 currently, and more to come, where the majority is not covered (surgery bill totaled $75,000 and only $8,000 was covered) Additional invoices to come: 6 week stay at Dell children’s, primary hospital where he was stabilized before moved to Dell, ambulatory services, physical therapy while admitted, mental therapy to help a 7 year old grasp his new reality, medications and more. 

· They only cover what is considered “home use” they do not cover anything that is needed to get Will out in to the community or for social activities (i.e. seatbelt for chair not covered, transit straps for public transportation although required by law is not covered by insurance), portable ramps to go places that are not ADA are not covered

· Items insurance views as “affordable” is not covered, even though it is needed for daily activities and adds up over time (bowel program supplies, other restroom supplies, etc.)

· Only one wheeled device is covered every five years.  When a 7yr old outgrows his current chair (if in 5 years), out of pocket costs for a new one.  

· Again, in a case like Will’s he has been prescribed to stand twice a day, but insurance will not cover the stander with wheels because they are already covering 1 wheelchair this year and this is considered a wheeled device, only 1 every 5 years.

· Equipment for Will to do therapy at home as well as in the clinic

Other treatment plans:  stem cell treatment (travel associated with this), electric stimulation, equine therapy, aquatic therapy, etc. will all be out of pocket.

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Location:Addison Grove  11903 Fitzhugh Road Austin, TX 78736

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Tickets on sale 7/1/2019

Sponsorships available:

Friday Night Countdown to air on HORN FM this fall.

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS.

The Texas Sports Monthly radio show The Friday Night Countdown will not only be moving to 104.9 The Horn FM this fall , but will also be launching its sister program the day before in The Thursday Night Countdown as well.

After 17 weeks on AM1300 The Zone in the 2018 season, FNC will move to The Horn studios beginning this August 30th as the official Pre-Game show launch for the 2019 Football season. The Thursdays show to air the day before on Thursday August 29th. With all the High School football, College, and NFL in recent decades, Thursdays have been kicking off our football weekends the last few years. Adding this additional night to local programming strengthens the coverage of what is rapidly becoming an even more recognizable brand; Central Texas High School Football.

With coaches interviews, player profiles, game highlights and analysis Texas Sports Monthly’s radio brands add great value to the Student Athlete coverage that Horn FM already offers. The official Flagship for the Longhorns also carries Lake Travis Broadcast, Vandegrift, & Bowie games.

Wednesdays the last two years has featured our friend Rick Epstein of iHSFAN short for – I am a High School Fan -show “Under The Lights”. Epstein will return for his 3rd year of UTL at 8pm on the Horn, but is also adding 7 more schools to his coverage through the HORN FM APP. These schools games can also be heard through the app or website beginning this fall: Austin High, Hays, Cedar Ridge, Leander Glenn, Westwood, Anderson, & Round Rock!

With all this local programming sports fans of Austin will get a heavy dose of all things Football with the new lineup on 104.9 The Horn. Texas Sports Monthly is currently offering sponsorships of its radio programs and magazine for the upcoming 2019 football season. If you or your business is interested in working with us please contact our staff for more information on packages available.

NBA Finals: Game 6

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.

OK, so there is not a real Texas connection here in the Finals other than the fact that both Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard were both Spurs for when they won a Title together in 2014 as San Antonio defeated Miami 4-1.

So just chiming in on this because as Spurs and Rockets fans in Texas we hate the NBA’s “Darling Team” in the Warriors. But then the rest of the country shares this disdain for the bay area as well. While the splash brothers pre-and-post KD have had championship runs I get the sense that the steam in this train is starting to cool.

With Durant’s injury this post season and free agency you just have to wonder if all the pieces in Golden State can stay together for another Western Conference push? The boys in blue have not won a home game yet and will be playing hard in game 6 as the series is 3-2 in favor of THE NORTH. Am I really rooting for the Canadians? Hell yes I am! At least we know those boys from San Antonio!

Kevin Durant is a Longhorn yes. But he’s out and the NBA needs a facelift in the absence of LeBron James in the Eastern Conference. And that shiny new ambassador has taken the shape in one Kawhi Leonard aka “the claw”. Insert James Carey line – NOTHING CAN STOP THE CLAW!

So lets see if the Raptors can pull of the win at at Oracle arena. Texas and the rest of the Continent below will be cheering you on. With the exception of California of course.

Brett Baty Field of Dreams

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in High School Baseball.

When your a young kid you Dream of playing for the Majors and envision
yourself hitting that Grand Slammer to win the game in front of the home crowd. It’s often a tall order for many players as few get to really live their dreams out and play professionally. But for one Lake Travis student, hard work, lots of practice, great parenting and coaching has landed Lake Travis senior Brett Baty just such an opportunity.

Brett Baty, a third baseman from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, talks on the phone with New York Mets personnel after being selected No. 12 by the Mets in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Monday, June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)


This past week Baty was one of 4 High School kids to be drafted in the 1st round of the MLB Draft in June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. Baty who has been hitting a staggering .624 this season just graduated from High School last week and is also playing for the 6A State Championship game in Austin for a chance at a Title.

The Texas Longhorn commit may skip his collegiate career altogether as the temptation to the simply play in the major leagues professionally is every college athletes dream anyway.

The 6’3 19 year old 3B/1B/P has a well balanced game and should do well to acclimate to the pros. We wish him the best in search for his own Field of Dreams.

Warriors Roll Blazers

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, left, lays up a shot past Portland Trail Blazers’ Maurice Harkless during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals Tuesday, May 14, 2019, in Oakland, Calif.

Can anyone beat the Warriors? Can anyone stop this team? If my beloved Rockets couldn’t de-thrown them without KD at home in a “must win” game then I don’t know who can.

Portland may have narrowly defeated the Nuggets in 7 in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, but this is the Western Conference finals and now they are playing the reigning champions. Something only LeBron James could do with a healthy young Kyrie Irving in 7 games against a Warriors team with no Kevin Durant.

Stephen Curry hit nine three-pointers for 36 points as the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors defeated the No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 116-94 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard scored 19 points for the visitors, who are down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. CJ McCollum, Moe Harkless and Rodney Hood each scored 17. This series will likely go 5 games with the Warriors winning 4-1.

Rockets knock off Jazz move to 2nd Round.

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.

Houston – The Rockets played tight defense in a huge win over a tough Jazz team Wednesday night as the 100 to 93 victory advances the team into the next round of the NBA Playoffs.

A great moral win as well since the Warriors were out hustled and out hooped at home Wednesday against a gritty LA Clippers team who were facing elimination. The longer those two keep battling to see who takes on the awaiting Rockets the more rest Houston will get. The Clippers host the Warriors on Friday in LA for game 6 .

The Rockets will now advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the third straight season. “These last few games, we hung our hat on defense and that’s what gonna get us to our goal,” said point guard James Harden.

The Rockets’ came up 1 game short in last years goal is to win an NBA championship when Chris Paul injured his hamstring in game 6 of the 2018 Western Conference finals. With a renewed since of pride and goal of getting back to the Finals the Rockets like their chances.

Although Houston is still waiting on its second-round opponent following Los Angeles’ victory in Wednesday’s Game 5, the Rockets will reportedly fly to the Bay Area on Friday in anticipation of a Sunday matchup with the Warriors reported the Houston Chronicle. Clint Capela says he wants to play Warriors in the next round even though Chris Paul

Capela: “That’s what I want. I want to face them.” Speaking about the Warriors. Paul to Capela: “Aw, man. You’re going to be all over Bleacher Report. It’s cool, though. It is what it is.”

Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (3) goes to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Paul to a reporter: “Look at you. You can’t wait to tweet that.”

Capela: “We’ve been working on it all year long. I think if you want to be the champion, you’ve got to beat the champion. So, at some point, you’ve got to do it, right?” Game 1 will be Sunday unless the Clippers win Friday.

Red Raiders Make Championship Game

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NCAA BASKETBALL.

MINNEAPOLIS —Defense wins Championships they say in Football usually. And in Lubbock the Texas Tech defense froze up Tom Izzo and the blue blood program of Michigan State as Chris Beards Red Raiders got all over the Spartans in the 61-51 decision at U.S. Bank Stadium Saturday Night.

Michigan State made it’s eighth Final Four trip in 21 years while Texas Tech, a program with 17 tournament appearances and 12 conference championships scattered in 94 seasons haven’t made a final eight slot until last year.

When Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, spoke with coach Beard, “He mentioned our toughness,” Beard said, “and that word means a lot in our program.”

What does 57, 58, 44, 69 and 51 mean to the Red Raiders stat-sheet? It’s the total amount of points given up in the tournament so far by there tough defense. Just 55.8 a game.

Texas Tech guard Matt Mooney reacts to fans after a semifinal round game against Michigan State in the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 6, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The Road to the Title
Texas Tech coasted themselves into the Elite Eight, having won its first three tournament games by double digits, including a 19-point thumping over Michigan. The Red Raiders held the Wolverines to just 44 points in the Sweet 16, then went on to a thunderous win of 75-69 over No. 1 Gonzaga to reach their first Final Four ever. Chris Beard’s team so far hasn’t been in any nail-biters in the last few minutes of any games as they have grind thru the NCAA tournament to the Final Four.

1 game left. Only Coach Bennett and his squad of Cavaliers stand in the way of Texas Tech this Monday night for 2019 Men’s NCAA Championship.

Horns Win 2019 NIT

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NCAA BASKETBALL, TEXAS SPORTS.

AUSTIN TX – Texas basketball hosted the five-seed Lipscomb Bisons as barley a 1.5-point favorite at MSG last Thursday Night and brought home a Championship to the 40 acres. The question is will this victory ease the pain of the regular season for the Texas faithful and it’s struggles in 2019?

For the 3rd time in 21 years the Longhorns missed the NCAA tournament and were edged out by a very competitive Big 12 Conference in 2019 and a mediocre season falling short of Texas fan base expectations as the horns went a mere 16-16.

Shooting guard Kerwin Roach Jr. heated up in the NIT after missing several games and throughout the 2019 regular season amidst some controversy. However the Sr. finished the season hard and gained some support by Texas fans closing out the season winning 5 strait.

UT’s 81-66 victory in the NIT Championship Game at Madison Square Garden may be enough for head Coach Shaka Smart to stay in Austin a few more season amidst rumors in the local media speculating the coaches future.

Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver, right, shoots over Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Saturday, March 30, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Big 12 rival Texas Tech has built up a strong program in recent years under head coach Chris Beard. While it was Texas who celebrated the NIT National Championship in New York Thursday it will be the Red Raiders of Lubbock playing for “All the Marbles” against Virginia in Minneapolis for the true National Title.

Texas Tech may be the red headed step child to the Longhorns in Football in the Big 12, but in hoops the Horns will have to wait for next year to compete with the in-state-rival for Big 12 Title and a chance to prove worthy of a 20′ NCAA invite next spring.

The Red Raiders play Monday night for the National Championship against Virginia. This is both teams first time in the title game and first time since 1979 have two schools competed for their first national title when Michigan State defeated Indiana State beginning the Magic/Bird rivalry in the 80’s

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Longhorns advance to NIT Championship. Defeat TCU 58-44

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NCAA BASKETBALL.

Shaka Smart’s team got their HOOP ON Tuesday night from the MSG and played a great defensive game against the Horned Frogs who won the 2 previous meetings this season over the Horns. But winning three in one season is a tall order for any team and the Longhorns used the previous losses as motivation and would not be denied a trip to the NIT Championship game this Thursday Night.

Texas (20-16)  had help from Sr. Dylan Osetkowski as he put up 13 points while Kerwin Roach dominated throughout the semifinal game against the Horned Frogs and tallied a team-high 22 points for Texas in the low scoring night.

In just the second time in the Longhorns history , Texas will advance to the NIT Championship game to face off against Lipscomb. Horns were crowned NIT Champions during the 1978 season.

Road to the NIT Championship

  • 79-73 vs. South Dakota State
  • 78-76 (OT) vs. Xavier
  • 68-55 vs. Colorado
  • 58-44 vs. TCU
  • Photo: UT Athletics

Red Raiders advance to Final Four defeats 1 seed Gonzaga

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NCAA BASKETBALL.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders winners of the Big 12 championship have advanced for the first time in school history to the men’s final four in Minneapolis. 

The Defensive Juggernaut held the Bulldogs explosive offense and powerhouse Gonzaga to 20 under their season average (88.7) scoring just 69 in the Elite 8 contest Saturday evening.

Knocking off the 1 Seed.
The Red Raiders Of Lubbock Texas were victorious 75 to 69 in Anaheim on Saturday becoming the 2019 NCAA Western regional champions and the first to punch their way to College Basketball’s most coveted event The Final Four.

The 2019 Big 12 Champs have made a run of 30-wins this season and Coach Chris Beard now boasts a 75-30 record in his tenure at Tech. For the first time in program history, the Red Raiders are headed to the Final Four.

Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver, right, shoots over Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Saturday, March 30, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Whats to come?

Tech will wait for its next tournament opponent next weekend when The Red Raiders will take on the winner of Duke and Michigan State, who are slated to tip-off at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.