Austin Spurs

saslchan

The fish were so close and the water so clear that Cady Lalanne said he almost reached out and touched them.

He was a 7-year-old in the middle of the Caribbean, crammed on a rickety boat with 50 others from Haiti, hoping to make it to America.

Lalanne said he still remembers everything about that 600-mile trip in 1999.

Six hundred miles of choppy seas, where thousands have died while seeking a better life.

The smell of the ocean water mixed with the fumes from the boat’s motor. The noise that woke him up when the boat stopped for gas.

 “I think about the boat all the time,” Lalanne said. “I remember when we pulled up to the shore. We were hiding in bushes, seeing cars pass by. We were picked up by a guy in a truck and we were here. In America.”

He said images of that trip appear to him in quiet moments, in dreams, and when he thinks about how far he’s come.

Cady Lalanne was the first in his family to graduate from high school and the first to graduate from college. Now, his newest journey takes him to Austin.

Lalanne was selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Spurs, taken 55th overall. Cady – pronounced “Caddie” -  didn’t start playing basketball until he was 14, and will spend the season in Austin continuing to work on his development.

He’ll play in the AT&amp;T Center for the first time on Dec. 29, when the Austin Spurs come to San Antonio to face the Santa Cruz Warriors.

“I don’t know how to explain how amazing this opportunity is to play in Austin,” Lalanne said. “To have my name called by the Spurs at the draft and be a part of this organization, I’m just so grateful. It’s more than anything my mom could have hoped for when she brought us to America.”

Bertha Lalanne brought her son and daughter, Betty, out of the poorest country in the Americas and settled them in Orlando, Florida.

She worked as a housekeeper at a hotel to support them. Cady describes his neighborhood as “not the best, but not the worst,” as his mother kept him in many after-school activities to keep him occupied.

Lalanne’s first love was football, which he played as a freshman in high school until the first time Bertha saw him take a hard hit on the field. It was then, at the age of 14, that Cady started playing basketball.

“My mom always did everything she could,” Lalanne said. “When I was drafted, she was the happiest one in the room.”

Lalanne played well enough in AAU basketball to earn scholarship offers, and signed with Massachusetts. He was already taking classes when he received a letter from the U.S. Government that mentioned deportation.

Because he came to America illegally, Lalanne had to return to Haiti to acquire legal status so he could play NCAA basketball.

Lalanne went to Port-au-Prince for a process he thought might take two weeks. It lasted six months. He stayed with a pastor in a land he hardly knew, and didn’t touch a basketball.

He said the six months in Haiti changed him, as he lived in an area that didn’t always have electricity or running water.

 “There were times we thought I might not be able to come back to the country,” Lalanne said. “It was an eye-opening experience. After something like that, you don’t take anything for granted.”

The ordeal ended just before classes began in 2011-12. Lalanne returned to the United States with a valid passport and social security number and began playing basketball again.

UMass coach Derek Kellogg said Lalanne, a 6-foot-10 center, instantly became a fan favorite with the Minutemen. When players would make visits to youth clinics or churches or hospitals, Kellogg said that Lalanne would often look for the smallest kid in the group and pick them up to dunk the ball.

“He took your heart over immediately,” Kellogg said. “He has unquestionable character, works hard and listens to you. I think everybody he’s ever encountered wants to help him succeed.”

Lalanne thrived at UMass and became one of three players in school history to record 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career, starting in every game his junior and senior year.

He also earned a degree in sociology, walking across the stage in Bertha Lalanne’s proudest moment.

Still relatively new to basketball, Lalanne said his progress has improved exponentially since he was drafted by the Spurs and joined their Summer League team.

One area of Lalanne’s development that Spurs director of scouting Brian Pauga noted is outside shooting. He was never asked to take long-range shots in college while playing primarily inside, but Lalanne said he hopes to be more of a stretch forward in the pros.

He’s attempted 40 3-pointers in 12 games with Austin, almost as many as the 47 he attempted in four seasons of college basketball. Lalanne has made 40 percent of his 3-pointers.

“Chip Engelland, San Antonio, and Austin coaches have reworked my whole shooting process,” Lalanne said. “Before, I wasn’t using my legs much. Now, I’m bending my knees, holding my follow-through and using all the right mechanics. I’m feeling more confident every day.”

Lalanne is averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in his rookie season as the Austin Spurs are off to a 10-2 start.

Almost every day, Lalanne said he thinks about the boat that brought him to America. It helps motivate him to earn every opportunity.

“Every time you’re around him you just realize he’s going to keep getting better and better,” Austin coach Ken McDonald said. “He’s salt of the earth, and he just wants to get better.”

cadys-journey

Cady's Journey

James Chandler

SWBC Introduced as the Team’s First-Ever Presenting Sponsor

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 15, 2014) – Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment announced today that its Austin-based NBA Development League team has been renamed the Austin Spurs.  Formerly the Austin Toros, the NBA D-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs will share the nickname of its parent club.  In addition, SWBC, a San Antonio-based financial services company, has been designated as the first-ever presenting sponsor of the Austin Spurs.  As part of the multiyear deal, SWBC signage will be prominently displayed on the Austin Spurs court and SWBC will be featured in upcoming digital, social, print, radio, TV and out-of-home campaigns.  The new changes to the franchise were unveiled today at a press conference held at the Cedar Park Center and will be reflected during the upcoming season.  The Austin Spurs host the Santa Cruz Warriors on Sunday, Nov. 23, in their 2014-15 season home opener.    

“The rebranding of the Austin franchise is a terrific opportunity to capitalize on the substantial equity of the Spurs brand,” said Rick Pych, Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment President of Business Operations.  “The name change creates an instantly recognizable link between the two franchises and is a natural progression based on the important role the Austin team plays in the development of young players, general managers and coaches who are on their way to reaching their dream of making it to the NBA.”  

The new Austin Spurs primary logo resembles a western-themed belt buckle and prominently features the iconic Spur in the center.  It also combines the familiar silver, black and white color palate utilized by the entire Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment family of teams. 

SWBC is a long-standing partner of Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment in business and community initiatives and has signed on as the first-ever presenting sponsor of the Austin Spurs.  SWBC co-founders Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley are part owners of Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Spurs Sports &amp; Entertainment as the Austin Spurs’ first-ever presenting sponsor,” said Dudley.  “It just makes good business sense to us, as we really want to see this entity thrive and be successful.”

“The structure of the model and the way this league works is a win-win for everyone involved,” said Amato.  “We are excited to support the organization and know that this commitment to the community will impact the area in a positive way.”

The Austin Spurs will celebrate their 10th anniversary when the 2014-15 season opens next month.  In that span, the franchise has a history of developing NBA talent on the court and in the front office.  Twenty Austin Spurs players have earned Gatorade Call-Ups to the NBA.  Three head coaches have been promoted to NBA coaching positions (Quin Snyder, Brad Jones, Taylor Jenkins) and four previous assistant coaches are currently in other NBA coaching or staff roles (Bryan Gates, Dale Osbourne, Roy Rogers, and Alex Lloyd).  Three former general managers (Dell Demps, Danny Ferry, Sean Marks) and two athletic trainers (Dice Yamaguchi, Nixon Dorvilien) have also been elevated to NBA positions.  The Austin Spurs have advanced to postseason play five of nine seasons in Austin, winning three division championships and the 2012 NBA D-League title.

Fans can check out the new look Austin Spurs and get the latest news on the team at AustinSpurs.com.   

Austin Spurs

Cady's Journey

Spurs Sports & Entertainment Austin-based NBA Development League team has been renamed the Austin Spurs