KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A replay of the 2016 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, featuring the induction of Illinois State men's basketball great Doug Collins, will air Thursday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Along with Collins, DePaul's Mark Aguirre, Kansas State's Bob Boozer, La Salle's Lionel Simmons, UCLA's Jamaal Wilkes and Georgia's Dominque Wilkins headlined the players in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame's induction class of 2016. Joining them for the 11th enshrinement ceremony were multi-school coaching legends Hugh Durham and Mike Montgomery. The hall of fame class was enshrined during a ceremony Nov. 18, 2016, at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City, Missouri.
In his three-year varsity career at Illinois State, Collins averaged 29.1 points per game and totaled 2,240 career points while being named both an All-American and Academic All-American after each season. Following his college career, Collins represented the U.S. in the 1972 Olympics before being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the No. 1 pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. Collins went on to become a four-time NBA All-Star with the 76ers and, after retiring, began a multi-decade NBA coaching career and successful turn as an NBA analyst on ESPN.
An Illinois State Athletics Percy Hall of Fame member, Collins had his No. 20 jersey retired after his final home game in 1973 and is the only Redbird men's basketball player to receive this honor. Redbird Arena was named "Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena" on Feb. 3, 2007, before a sell-out crowd against rival Bradley. Collins is also the first Redbird to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
A night to celebrate Collins will take place Friday, Jan. 20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington (Illinois), in recognition of his recent hall of fame induction. Tickets are now available for the event which will include a night of dining and celebration, a storytelling and question and answer session with Collins and WGN Television Sports Director Dan Roan (ISU Class of '76), and a silent auction.
Registration and a cocktail hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner which includes complimentary beer and wine. Mixed drinks will also be available for purchase. Tickets for the event are $100 per guest, with proceeds benefiting the Redbird men's basketball program. Reservations can be made at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets or by calling (309) 438-8000. Please register by Jan. 13.
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