Aug. 16, 2007

ATTENTION GAMECOCK FANS – if you wanted to see Renaldo Balkman play one more time in the Colonial Center – you got it!

The Philadelphia 76ers announced their seven-game preseason schedule, highlighted by the opener on Monday, Oct. 8, against Renaldo Balkman’s own-New York Knicks at the Colonial Center in Columbia, S.C. The preseason opener at the Colonial Center marks the second time the Sixers will make the trip to Columbia, as they defeated San Antonio 100-88 back on Oct. 12, 2005.

Tickets are on sale with ticket prices starting at $18 and VIP seating is available. Tickets for the game in Columbia, S.C. can be purchased at the Colonial Center box office, select Piggly Wiggly locations, Columbia and Lexington Play It Again Sports locations, online at www.thecolonialcenter.com or charge by phone at 1-866-4SC-TIXX (1-866-472-8499).

Balkman, a three-year letterwinner with the Gamecocks from 2003-2006, played on two NIT championship teams and one NCAA Tournament team in 2004. Balkman was the 2006 NIT MVP and a member of the SEC All-Tournament team after leading USC to the conference finals before falling to eventual NCAA champion Florida, 49-47.? “We’re excited to bring the Sixers back to Columbia for an entertaining night of NBA Basketball,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “This game allows us to expand our fan base and expose new fans to 76ers basketball while at the same time enabling the facilities we manage (through our management subsidiary Global Spectrum) to enhance their event schedules with top-notch sports and attractions.”??Said Colonial Center General Manager Tom Paquette, “We are thrilled to have the NBA back in Columbia. Having Gamecock basketball great Renaldo Balkman back playing on the Colonial Center floor in a Knicks uniform is an added bonus.”?? Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) is the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 70 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.