Staff report

CARY -- Duke and North Carolina will meet even before the start of the 2009-10 college basketball season. For that matter, so will N.C. State and N.C. Central -- the coaches, anyway.

The Triangle Sports Commission announced the formation of the Triangle Tip-Off Luncheon on Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the N.C. Amateur Sports Foundation.

The luncheon, which will take place Oct. 29 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, will feature Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, N.C. State's Sidney Lowe, N.C. Central's LeVelle Moton and UNC's Roy Williams.

"We are thrilled that the Triangle Sports Commission has chosen to commemorate the beginnings of our North Carolina Amateur Sports Foundation with the Triangle Tip-Off Luncheon," said Chuck Hobgood, President of N.C. Amateur Sports. "While the NCAS Foundation might not be as widely known as some others in the state, we have had many success stories.

"We have made grants to literally hundreds of athletes and programs through the years, and [Greensboro's] Joey Cheek even personally credits his grant with having kept his career alive, which of course eventually led to his gold medal performances in the Salt Lake Olympic Games."

Tables and individual seats for the Triangle Tip-Off Luncheon may be purchased online at the Triangle Sports Commission website at www.trianglesportscommission.com.

Individual seats are $60 and tables of 10 are $550.

Sponsorships of the event are also available by contacting Faryn Driscoll of the Triangle Sports Commission (678-1651 or fdriscoll@trianglesportscommission.com).

Proceeds from the luncheon will go to local charities that are among the four coaches' favorites including the Boys and Girls Clubs, Emily Krzyzewski Center, National Breast Cancer Foundation, the N.C. Amateur Sports Foundation and the Triangle Sports Commission.