CORPUS CHRISTI – The third annual Islander Athletic Fund Casino Night saw a tremendous evening of food, friends and fun on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the new Anchor Ballroom on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM CASINO NIGHT
The sold-out event treated Islanders Athletics supporters to a live auction, a silent auction, a bid-board auction, a buffet dinner and a casino-style game floor. The emcees for the evening were Mike Gillaspia and Rachel Cole from KRIS-6 News Sunrise.
“I couldn’t be more happy with the success of Casino Night this year,” Director of Athletics Scott Lazenby said. “Everyone I spoke with had an absolute blast with everything, from the auctions to the casino games to just socializing with our coaches, staff and fellow supporters. The event also raised nearly $40,000 for our student-athletes’ scholarships, which is tremendous for our department.
“I want to extend my gratitude to Jimmy Frush, Suzette Hamer and all our staff members who worked so hard to make this such an outstanding event,” Lazenby added. “I’m already looking forward to next year’s Casino Night.”
The casino floor allowed supporters to participate in various Vegas-style games, including blackjack, poker, slot machines, craps and roulette, in an effort to accumulate the most chips to win recognition as the winner for the evening. This year, after earning 103,500 in chips, Islanders Basketball pep band director Kenneth Iyescas took home the honors of Casino Night’s top gamer. Bruce Hamende finished in second place with 96,500, followed by Clay Campbell’s 81,025, Juan Garza’s 61,000 and Reese Buchanan’s 44,900.
Islanders baseball head coach Scott Malone may have found a new career at the event, serving as color commentator to live auctioneer Wes Hoskins, from 1st Community Bank. Malone, who is entering his ninth season leading the Islanders, provided entertaining previews for each auctioned item.
“The success of Casino Night would not have been possible without the hours upon hours that our staff members dedicated to the event,” said Frush, the department’s Associate Athletics Director for Development. “Special thanks go out to Mike Gillaspia and Rachel Cole, Russo’s New York Pizzeria, Wes Hoskins and Scott Malone, along with the team from Just Like Vegas and Blue Moon Entertainment. Everyone really stepped up and delivered an evening of first-class entertainment.”
All proceeds raised at Casino Night went to the Islander Athletic Fund, which directly support student-athlete scholarships at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Table sponsors for the event were:
AEP Texas
Aleman Insurance Agency
Aquaria Services, Inc.
Braselton Homes, Inc.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
FSG Lighting and Electric
Gary Insurance Group
HEB
IBC Bank
Jason's Deli
NavyArmy Community Credit Union
Pest Patrol
Anita Reed & Gary Dempsey
Schlotzsky's
Shea Physical Therapy
Paul & Carol Wilson
