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What's Newell with you?: Basketball icon Pete Newell brings his Pete Newell Challenge to the HP Pavilion this weekend.
Basketball Legends Converge
ALL RISE, for a true basketball guru will be presiding in San Jose this weekend. Some of you may also know him as the guy who runs the "Big Man Camp" training facility for centers and forwards, but most know him as Hall of Fame legend Pete Newell. Yup, that same Pete Newell from Vancouver who coached at USF, Michigan State and UC-Berkeley and compiled a 234-123 overall record. The Fairmont will be hosting the VIP Coaches' Reception where four of the nation's greatest basketball masterminds, including Newell, will gather to relive their great moments, talk hoops and present the Pete Newell Challenge that has now moved to the HP Pavilion. Other head coaches who will be joining are Texas Tech Hall of Famer Bob Knight, Ben Braun of Cal, Stanford's Trent Johnson and Mark Fox of Nevada-Reno. This is the 10-year anniversary of the Pete Newell Challenge and its first appearance in San Jose. It commemorates Newell's career and dedication to basketball—his accomplishments include four consecutive PAC-8 titles and two straight appearances at the NCAA championship game with UC-Berkeley. Newell also coached the men's 1960 Gold Medal Olympic basketball team, which makes him one of three coaches to win the "Triple Crown" of NCAA, NIT and Olympic championships. The VIP Coaches' Reception will be held at the Fairmont in downtown San Jose on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 7 to 9pm. There will be opportunities for autographs and pictures as well. But make sure you get some sleep, Sunday is a big day. Stanford tips off against Texas tech at 3:30pm, and at Cal will go up against Nevada-Reno. Tickets for the Coaches' VIP reception include admission to the games.
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