Dragons Community Outreach Highlights "NBDL Championship Week Celebration"

April 18, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga. – To celebrate their first-ever berth in the NBDL Championship Tournament Finals, the Columbus Riverdragons are presenting the "NBDL Championship Week Celebration", a weeklong celebration of basketball and community outreach.

The Riverdragons "NBDL Championship Week Celebration" will feature community appearances by Riverdragons players, dance team members, and mascot Rivvy D, as well as local media promotions culminating in the Dragons Championship Finals match-up against the Asheville Altitude this Saturday night, April 23 at the Columbus Civic Center at 7:00 p.m..

"This game is a must see for the tri-city area," said Riverdragons team president, J. Barry McMullin. "It isn't everyday that a city has an opportunity to celebrate championship teams like Columbus has this year. Fans won't want to miss one of the biggest nights in Columbus professional sports history this Saturday night."

Riverdragons players will be participating with local area students in Read To Achieve events throughout the Chattahoochee Valley on Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21. Members of the 2004-05 Dragons squad will visit four local schools, including Faith Middle School, Reese Road Elementary, Downtown Elementary, and Baker Middle School to promote reading and literacy to young students. The centerpiece of the NBDL's community relations platform is the Read to Achieve initiative. As in the NBA and WNBA, Read to Achieve works to promote the love of reading and online literacy and to encourage families and adults to read regularly with young children. Throughout the year, teams execute a number of reading-related programs and activities. These programs take place at schools, libraries and community organizations, as well as in NBDL arenas. Dragons players will also make live appearances throughout the week. On Tuesday, April 19 Riverdragons players will be on hand at Golden Park as the Columbus Catfish host the Charleston Sea Dogs in South Atlantic League baseball action at 6:00 p.m.. Dragons players will meet & greet, as well as sign autographs for fans of all ages. In addition, Riverdragons forward Reed Rawlings will throw out the first pitch prior to the game.

Members of the Riverdragons squad will also make appearances at the Columbus Wal-Mart store location on Airport Thruway from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 and at Riverfest from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 22.

The Riverdragons are also offering fans special ticket discounts and promotions for their match-up with the Asheville Altitude in the 2005 NBDL Championship Tournament Finals presented by Delta Air Lines this Saturday night, April 23, at the Columbus Civic Center at 7:00 p.m..

For the second straight week, the Dragons are offering their "$5 Dollar Kids Ticket", as all tickets for kids 12 and under are just $5 at the Columbus Civic Center box office. Plus, the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free pair of NBDL socks. In addition, fans who wear orange clothes or apparel to the Civic Center box office prior to the game will receive $2 off any game ticket.

The Riverdragons and the NBDL are also teaming up with Delta Air Lines for the "Fly Away With Delta" Contest. Riverdragons fans are encouraged to attend the championship game with their wackiest, most creative suitcase. Prior to halftime, the top five fans will be escorted to the court to show their suitcase and the contestant who receives the loudest applause from the crowd will win a three-day, two-night vacation to Orlando, Florida on the weekend of April 29-May 1, 2005. The grand prize includes two round trip airline tickets on Delta and two night's stay at a Marriott hotel in Orlando.

Other in-game events and promotions include the "Dragons Drum Line Showcase", featuring the CREAM Drum Line Corps from Atlanta. Also, all kids in attendance can enjoy the "Fun Bounce" in the Dragons Kids Zone.

Individual game tickets start at $10.00 (Upper Bowl A and B). Other prices are $14 (Lower Bowl B) and $16 (Lower Bowl A).

To purchase tickets, visit the Columbus Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, including Publix supermarkets, call Ticketmaster at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, or log onto ticketmaster.com.

The National Basketball Development League regular season champion Riverdragons have homecourt advantage for Saturday's 2005 NBDL Championship Tournament Finals presented by Delta Air Lines, after claiming the #1 seed. Asheville, the #2 seed, is the defending champion, having defeated Huntsville last season for the NBDL crown. The Altitude will attempt to become the NBDL's first back-to-back postseason champion.

Columbus enters the championship finals following a 96-89 win over Roanoke in the semi-final round last Saturday at the Columbus Civic Center. Asheville enters Saturday's game following a 90-86, comeback victory over Huntsville in the semi-finals last Saturday night at the Asheville Civic Center. The Riverdragons won the regular season series with Asheville, 6-4, but the Altitude have never lost a postseason game, going 3-0 all-time in the playoff round. Columbus is 2-2 all-time in the postseason.

For additional information, please visit columbusriverdragons.com, NBA.com or contact Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104 and tbecwar@nba.com. For additional information on the NBDL please visit NBDL.com.



NBA G League Stories from April 18, 2005


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