LEXINGTON, Va. – Cameron Hall, the home of VMI basketball the past four decades, will have a special ceremony to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the first game during halftime of Saturday's VMI-Gardner-Webb game slated for a 1 pm tip-off.

Cameron Hall was named for Bruce B. Cameron '38 and his brother Daniel D. Cameron '42, both civil engineering graduates, who financed a significant portion of the nearly $7 million project. The first basketball game took place on Saturday, December 5 as VMI took on fifth-ranked Virginia which featured standout center Ralph Sampson. Sidelined to rest an injured thumb,

Sampson did not play in the game that was witnessed by 4,460 fans and televised to a regional audience by Raycom Sports with legendary coach "Bones" McKinney serving on the broadcast crew as an analyst.

Virginia won the initial game handily, 76-49, but Cameron Hall over the years became a decisive home court advantage to the VMI basketball teams, just as the famed "Pit" was in the previous 30 years. Heading into Saturday's game with Gardner-Webb, VMI holds a 302-238 record in the facility for a .557 winning percentage.

VMI Superintendent Major General Cedric T Wins '85, who scored Cameron Hall's first point with a free throw against Virginia in the inaugural game, will help welcome back a contingent of former players, coaches, and staff who have contributed to Cameron Hall's history over the last 40 years. The group will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's VMI-Gardner-Webb game.

MG Wins reflects on his scoring the first point at Cameron Hall and memories of the first game.



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