Robbins to get word on Hall nomination

Former Virginia Union coach Dave Robbins will learn Friday if he is a step closer to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Robbins, whose teams won 713 games and three Division II national titles in his 30 seasons as the Panthers' coach, retired after the 2007-08 season. VUU nominated Robbins for the Hall of Fame in 2007.

"Very few coaches get to go in, and there have been a lot of great coaches, many more deserving than me," Robbins, now the senior administrator for athletic development at VUU, said yesterday.

After nomination, the induction process involves elevating through two levels: a nine-person screening committee, and then a 24-person honors committee. Seven votes from the screening committee are required for the nominee to advance to the honors committee. At least 18 votes from the honors committee are required for induction.

Robbins, who coached Thomas Jefferson High to the 1975 Group AAA championship, has been considered by the screening committee each of the past two years and failed to receive seven votes.

On Friday, the Hall of Fame will announce which nominees have received sufficient support to be considered by the honors committee, which consists of Hall of Famers, basketball executives, media members and other contributors.

The new class of inductees will be announced in early April. The Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Mass., enshrines those who have contributed to the sport at various levels. Enshrined are 81 coaches, only a few of whom were notable for Division II achievement. -- John O'Connor