NORFOLK, Va. – NBA and college basketball hall of famer Ralph Sampson will serve as the keynote speaker when the Norfolk State men’s basketball program holds its fourth annual tip-off dinner on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Murray Center in downtown Norfolk.
NSU greats Bob Dandridge and Richard Pitts will also be in attendance as special invited guests. Dandridge will serve as a guest speaker along with Sampson.
Tickets for the dinner go for $75 per person. The ticket price includes dinner and access to raffle prizes. Deadline to sign up for the tip-off dinner is Oct. 12.
VIP tickets are also available, which include an early entry for photos and autographs. The VIP ticket also includes special seating. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the event for VIP ticket holders and 7 p.m. for general admission ticket holders.
Tickets can be purchased online at NSUSpartanBasketballCamps.com. Tickets are also available in the main athletics office in Echols Hall, or in the office of assistant basketball coach C.J. Clemons. For more information about the dinner, including information about corporate tables, call Clemons at 757-823-2693 or email clclemons@nsu.edu.
The Murray Center is located at 455 East Brambleton Ave. in Norfolk, just east of Scope Arena.
Sampson was named the Naismith, USBWA and AP Player of the Year three straight years from 1981-83 while playing at the University of Virginia. He was also a three-time winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy, also given out to the top player in the country, before moving on to the NBA. He was named the 1984 Rookie of the Year and was a four-time NBA All-Star. Sampson was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dandridge was a four-time NBA All-Star after being drafted in 1969 by the Milwaukee Bucks. He made eight playoff appearances with Milwaukee and Washington and averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists over his NBA career. He also led NSU to the 1968 CIAA title and ranks second all-time at NSU in career scoring average (22.5).
Pitts was a two-time All-CIAA performer in 1965 and ’66 and was named to the CIAA All-Tournament Team three straight years. He led the Spartans to the 1965 championship, the program’s first ever CIAA title, as well as a third-place finish in ’64 and a runner-up finish in ’66. He ranks seventh all-time at NSU in scoring (1,883) as well as second in free throws (525) and rebounds (1,235). He averaged 21.9 points and 14.4 rebounds during his four-year career.
Originally published at nsuspartans.com
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