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Columbus State To Host Dragons Preseason Game November 16

November 3, 2004 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga., November 2—Columbus State University and the Columbus Riverdragons will host a basketball doubleheader on Tuesday, November 16th at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center, featuring the CSU Lady Cougars season opener against Clark Atlanta at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Dragons preseason game versus the Florida Flame at 8:15 p.m..

Tickets for this special event are priced at $5 for general admission and $3 for all non-CSU students with a valid student ID. All CSU students, faculty, and staff showing their CSU ID receive free admission. To purchase tickets for the basketball doubleheader, visit the Columbus State University Athletics ticket office located at the Lumpkin Center or call (706) 568-2204. This event marks the second time that Columbus State has hosted a Riverdragons preseason game. The Dragons defeated the Greenville Groove, 71-62, in a preseason match-up at the Lumpkin Center on November 9, 2002.

The opening game of the doubleheader features the CSU Lady Cougars taking on regional foe, Clark Atlanta University. CSU Head Coach Jay Sparks returns three starters and four letterwinners from a team that finished 11-17 a year ago. The Lady Cougars will look to jumpstart their rise back to the top of the Peach Belt Conference against a Lady Panthers squad that finished 22-5 last season.

The NBDL preseason contest will feature a coaching match-up of two former NBA stars in Dragons Head Coach Jeff Malone and Flame Head Coach Dennis Johnson. Malone was a two-time NBA All-Star (1986, ‘87) during a 13-year career which saw the Macon, Ga. native score over 17,000 points for the Washington Bullets, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat. Johnson joins the Flame staff after an extensive career with the NBA, both as a player and coach. During his playing days with the Seattle Supersonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics, Johnson claimed three NBA championships as well as other various awards and honors. Named to nine consecutive All-Defensive Teams (1979-87), Johnson was also a five-time NBA All-Star selection (1979-82, ’85).

The NBDL includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.) and Asheville Altitude (N.C.).

The league offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBAÂ’s umbrella. In addition to the 28 players, nine former NBDL coaches and five athletic trainers have been called up since the start of the leagueÂ’s inaugural season in November 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The NBDL is a source of on-court talent for the NBAÂ’s 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.

The Riverdragons open their 2004-05 regular season schedule on Saturday, November 20 versus the Huntsville Flight at the Columbus Civic Center. For more information, log on to www.columbusriverdragons.com or contact Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104, or tbecwar@nba.com .

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