By Justin Lafleur/Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Early in his NBA career, former Lehigh men’s basketball standout C.J. McCollum has already made his presence felt, averaging 5.8 points in 13.5 minutes over his first five games. In just his second-career game, the Canton, Ohio native scored 10 points against the Boston Celtics. McCollum and the Trail Blazers will be on national television three times this week, Monday and Thursday on TNT and Saturday on NBA TV.
Portland is 5-0 in McCollum’s five games after losing two straight, four of its previous six and five of its previous nine. The Trail Blazers are currently second in the Western Conference with a 31-9 record, just one half game behind San Antonio who Portland defeated on Friday evening.
This week, fans can watch McCollum on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT as Portland travels to Houston to face the Rockets. The Trail Blazers host Denver on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET), also on TNT, and welcome Minnesota Saturday (10 p.m. ET) on NBA TV.
McCollum has averaged 5.8 points and 1.4 rebounds over his first five games. He suited up for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Sacramento, but did not see action. McCollum’s NBA debut came the following evening against Orlando. He finished with four points in 14 minutes, scoring his first-career points early in the second quarter to give the Trail Blazers a 26-24 lead.
In his second-career game, McCollum scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting vs. Boston. In three games since, he’s played in double-figure minutes each time, scoring two, four then nine points. The nine-point effort came at Dallas Saturday on 3-of-7 shooting and 1-of-2 from three-point range.
McCollum wrapped up a historic career at Lehigh by becoming the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer with 2,323 career points. He was on pace to break the Lehigh career scoring record before he broke his foot at VCU. McCollum’s final point total is still good for second in school history. He was a two-time All-American and Patriot League Player of the Year, leading the Mountain Hawks to two league titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a 30-point effort in Lehigh’s historic 75-70 win over Duke.
McCollum became the first player in school history and only second in Patriot League history to be selected in the NBA Draft; Bucknell’s Mike Muscala became the third later in the draft.
The 2013-14 Mountain Hawks return to action at Navy Wednesday before hosting Lafayette on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available online, including a print-at-home option, or by calling the ticket office at 610-7LU-GAME (610-758-4263). Individual game tickets are only five dollars (in advance) and season tickets are also available.
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