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Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to watch his college jersey raised to the rafters as the Lehigh Hawks took on the Holy Cross Crusaders. Prior to becoming the other half of Portland’s dynamic backcourt, McCollum made a name for himself by dominating the competition in the Patriot League. On Sunday, Lehigh made McCollum a central part of its game day festivities.
McCollum met with members of the current team and caught up with a few familiar faces before the contest.
Meeting with the squad pregame. pic.twitter.com/T6cw7Tnqa5
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 24, 2019
Professor Lule catches up with one of his star students before today’s @LehighMBB game. @CJMcCollum @trailblazers @LehighSports #Legends pic.twitter.com/Zl6QZK0fv3
— Lehigh University (@LehighU) February 24, 2019
To mark the special occasion, the Trail Blazers social media team put together a video that chronicled McCollum’s journey from Lehigh to the NBA.
“If you work hard & you have faith in your abilities & dedicate yourself, anything is possible.”
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 24, 2019
Congrats to @CJMcCollum, who is getting his number raised to the rafters at @LehighMBB today. We’re proud of you, CJ! pic.twitter.com/ixS0C0yl7M
McCollum appeared in 111 games over his four-year tenure at Lehigh. He averaged 21.3 points per game during that stretch and captured Patriot Player of the Year honors on two occasions.