purs Sports & Entertainment today announced that they have named Ken McDonald as head coach of the Austin Toros. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not announced.
McDonald served as an assistant last season for the Toros under head coach Taylor Jenkins, where he helped lead the team to a 27-23 overall record and to the semifinals of the 2013 NBA D-League Playoffs.
Prior to the Toros, McDonald served as head coach at Western Kentucky University from 2008-12 where he accumulated a 67-48 overall record. His accomplishments with the Hilltoppers included guiding the school to the Sun Belt regular season and tournament championships in 2009.
The Rhode Island native served as an assistant coach for the University of Texas (2004-08) where he helped guide the Longhorns to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. During his four seasons on the Texas bench the Longhorns posted a 106-35 (.752) record. The 106 wins are still the most victories in a four-year period in school history. Texas captured Big 12 Conference regular-season championships in both 2005-06 and 2007-08 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight” in both of those years as well.
McDonald also served as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia (2003-04), Western Kentucky University (1998-2003) and Clemson University (1994-98).
A Providence College graduate, McDonald played two seasons with the Friars before playing professionally for the St. Paul Revelles in Killarney, Ireland from 1993-94. Before transferring to Providence he played two seasons at the Community College of Rhode Island, where he was a first-team junior college All-American, setting school records for single season scoring as well as three-pointers made in a game, season and career.
The Toros are scheduled to open the 2013-14 NBA D-League season on the road Nov. 22 when they visit the Santa Cruz Warriors. The team will open its home slate on Dec. 1 against the Delaware 87ers at 3 p.m. inside Cedar Park Center.
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