Hall Calls Louie Dampier and John Calipari for Induction

from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. . . 

Indianapolis, IN – . . . the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 11 members of the Class of 2015 to be honored September 10-12, 2015 during this year’s Enshrinement Ceremonies in Springfield, Massachusetts.  This year’s list includes 39-year NBA referee Dick Bavetta, three-time College Coach of the Year John Calipari, four-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood, eight-time NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, seven-time NBA All-Star Jo Jo White and three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie.

They join the five directly elected members who were announced during NBA All-Star Weekend in February by distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game of basketball.  They include Louis Dampier voted in from the American Basketball Association (ABA) Committee, John Isaacs from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Lindsay Gaze from the International Committee, Tom Heinsohn from the Veterans Committee and George Raveling from the Contributor Direct Election Committee.

The Class Announcement was made at a press conference in Indianapolis, the site of the 2015 NCAA Final Four, and televised live on NBA TV with host Jim Nantz from CBS Sports.

“We are honored to recognize the highly distinguished Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “They have contributed a great deal to the game we all love, as players, coaches, teachers, mentors and more. They have dedicated themselves to their craft and serve as an inspiration to many. We look forward to honoring each of these inductees during the Enshrinement festivities in September.”

To be elected, finalists must receive 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  The addition of the direct elect committees were incorporated into the election process to maintain a strong focus on keeping history on the forefront of the voting procedures and to preserve a balance between two eras of basketball.

“The Class of 2015 is a group of outstanding individuals who represent many eras and facets of basketball,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board. “Their commitment to the game is undeniable and the impact they have had on others is even greater. We are very pleased to honor this remarkable group of inductees.”

The Class of 2015 will be enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Friday, September 11.

Area Honorees. . .

JOHN CALIPARI [Coach] – Calipari is a three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year (1996, 2009, 2015), three-time National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year (1996, 2009, 2015) and nine-time Conference Coach of the Year (1993,1994,1996, 2006, 2008-10, 2012, 2015), He coached University of Massachusetts from 1988-1996 and won five Atlantic 10 regular season championships and five Tournament championships (1992-1996). Calipari then coached University of Memphis from 2000-2009 and won four Conference USA regular season championships (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009), three C-USA Tournament championships (2006, 2007, 2009) and the NIT Tournament (2002). With the University of Kentucky since 2009, he has won three SEC regular season championships (2010, 2012, 2015), three SEC Tournament championships (2010, 2011, 2015) and an NCAA Championship (2012). Calipari has led his teams to eight Elite Eight Appearances (2006, 2007, 2009-12, 2014, 2015) and four NCAA Final Four appearances (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015).

Louie Dampier
Louie Dampier

LOUIS “LOUIE” DAMPIER [Player] – Dampier is one of a few players to play all nine seasons the ABA was in existence (1967-1976). He is one of two men to have played all nine seasons with one team, the Kentucky Colonels. Dampier finished first all-time in the ABA in games played (728), minutes played (27,770), points scored (13,726), and assists (4,044). An ABA Champion in 1975, he was also named a seven-time ABA All-Star (1968-70, 1972-75), a member of the ABA All-Rookie First Team (1968) and a member of the ABA All-Time Team. Prior to the ABA, Dampier played three seasons at Kentucky where he was a Second-Team All-American twice and an Academic All-American once. Upon graduation, he was ranked third all-time in points scored for the Wildcats. Dampier concluded his professional career with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA after the ABA merger in 1976.

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