ATLANTA -- Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin is joining the Atlanta Hawks ownership group, which hopes he can raise the profile of an NBA team that has struggled to draw fans or lure big-name free agents. Jaroslav Spacek Jersey . The Hawks announced late Sunday that Koonin would take an ownership stake, serve as chief executive officer, oversee all business operations and represent the ownership at league functions. Koonin comes to the Hawks after 14 years with Turner Entertainment Networks, where in his most recent role he led the division that included TNT, TBS, TruTV and Turner Classic Movies. He previously spent more than a decade as a marketing executive at Coca-Cola. "Steve Koonins reputation as a game changer in both marketing and media makes him the ideal leader to usher the Atlanta Hawks into a new era," said Bruce Levenson, the teams majority owner. "He has created a legacy as an expert in sports marketing, television, branding and digital media." The Hawks clinched their seventh straight playoff appearance this past weekend but perennially rank among the worst teams in attendance. The team is hoping Koonin can change that after his stint at Turner, where he was involved in programming and media rights acquisition with both the NBA and the NCAA. At Coca-Cola, he served as vice-president of sports and entertainment marketing. Koonin is a lifelong resident of Atlanta, headquarters of Turner and Coca-Cola. "My family has been a part of this city for nearly a century," Koonin said in a statement. "We have a lot of work to do, but I believe my professional experience, my passion for this team and the NBA, as well as the Hawks great existing executive talent ... make this organizations future very bright." Under general manager Danny Ferry and first-year coach Mike Budenholzer, the Hawks are in the midst of a major rebuilding effort. Only two players, centre Al Horford and point guard Jeff Teague, have been with the team longer than two years -- and Horford missed most of this season with an injury. Koonins focus will be off the court. Heading into its final home game Monday night, the Hawks were averaging crowds of 14,400 a game -- 28th out of 30 NBA teams. The actual turnouts are generally much lower, with thousands of empty seats a trademark of games at Philips Arena, where capacity was actually reduced by curtaining a section of seats at the top of the upper deck. Over the past decade, the team has never ranked higher than 18th in attendance and is largely overlooked in a market that also has the NFL, Major League Baseball and a passion for college football. "I have known Steve for more than two decades and based both on firsthand experience and his stellar record of accomplishments," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "He is one of the very best executives and creative minds in the entertainment industry." Cheap Sabres Jerseys . The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., was edged 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 by third-seeded Alize Cornet of France. Cornet broke Bouchard twice in the last set and saved six break points in the three-hour match. Danny Gare Jersey . Expensive. The NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with Baltimores Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a 22-20 loss to the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . Patrick Deslisle-Houde and David Rose each scored in the second to give the fourth-seeded Redmen a 3-1 lead after Jean-Philippe Mathieu scored in the first.TORONTO - Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Russell Teibert rejoins the Canada fold after a years absence for a soccer friendly against Panama on Nov. 18 in Panama City. But rising FC Dallas star Tesho Akindele declined his invitation.Teibert is one of 12 MLS players in coach Benito Floros 23-man squad. The players will assemble Sunday at a camp in Orlando, Fla., before heading to Panama on Nov. 16 in advance of the game at Estadio Rommel Fernandez.Panama is ranked 56th in the world, compared to No. 122 for Canada.Its another important game for us because we need to continue improving our tactical play and we are going to play against a very good team that has an experienced coach (Hernan Dario Gomez), Floro said in a statement. Its a very good, organized team on the pitch with a good tactical sense both in attack and defence.The Canadian Soccer Association said Akindele initially agreed to join the Canadian camp but then withdrew. The organization did not say why. Dallas plays at Seattle on Monday in the return leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal.Floro spoke to the Dallas coach Oscar Pareja in September, with the two agreeing to let the player stay with his MLS club to continue getting playing time with the knowledge that the Canadian staff was following his progress, a CSA spokesman said.Akindele was born in Calgary to a Canadian mother and Nigerian father and lived in Canada — with stops in Toronto and Winnipeg — until he was eight. His father, a financial analyst who also has Canadian citizenship, moved the family to Colorado for work.The 22-year-old Akindele, who scored seven goals during the MLS regular season, is reportedly in the process of obtaining his U.S. citizenship although spokesmen for FC Dallas and U.S. Soccer were not sure whether he had got it already.Teibert, 21, was last summoned a year by Floro for games against the Czech Republic and Slovenia. He came on in the 60th minute on Nov. 15 againstt the Czechs, winning his seventh cap. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop. The Canadian men lost 1-0 to third-ranked Colombia last time out. Canada ended a 16-game winless streak in September with a 3-1 win over Jamaica in Toronto.Floros team tied Bulgaria and Moldova earlier in 2014.The Canadian coach said the game in Panama will challenge his players.We are going to play away in their stadium against another good team but its good for us because we need to test our level in these situations, said Floro. We need to focus on continuing improving our pressing and to increase our attack because in the last game (against Colombia), our attack was not as good as we can do.Floros squad includes veterans Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Lars Hirschfeld and Patrice Bernier.But there is also plenty of youth in Bryce Alderson, Kyle Bekker, Ashtone Morgan, Karl W. Ouimette, Jonathan Osorio and Maxim Tissot.Its the first senior call-up for Tissot, a defender with the Montreal Impact.---CANADAGatekeepers: Milan Borjan, Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria); Lars Hirschfeld, Valerenga (Norway); Kenny Stamatopoulos, AIK (Sweden).Defenders: Nana Attakora, D.C. United (MLS); David Edgar, Birmingham City (England); Doneil Henry, Toronto FC (MLS); Nik Ledgerwood, Energie Cottbus (Germany); Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC (MLS); Karl W. Ouimette, Montreal Impact (MLS); Maxim Tissot, Montreal Impact.Midfielders: Bryce Alderson, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Kyle Bekker, Toronto FC (MLS); Patrice Bernier, Montreal Impact (MLS); Julian de Guzman, unattached; Atiba Hutchinson, Besiktas (Turkey); Issey Nakajima-Farran, Montreal Impact (MLS); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Adam Straith, unattached; Daniel Stanese, FC Augsburg II (Germany); Russell Teibert, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS).Forwards: Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC (MLS); Marcus Haber, Crewe Alexandra (England); Tosaint Ricketts, Hapoel Haifa (Israel). Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '