TicketsMarch 29, 2011
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati men's basketball student-athlete Darnell Wilks has been chosen to take part in the 23rd annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus and will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN2.
Wilks, a senior from Nashville, Tenn., will compete against seven other players in the Denny's Slam Dunk Championship: Gilbert Brown from the University of Pittsburgh; Justin Burrell from St. John's University; Will Coleman from the University of Memphis; Justin Tubbs from East Tennessee State University; Billy White from San Diego State University; John Williams from the University of North Carolina at Asheville; and Jacob Tucker from Illinois College, who won the Facebook fan vote to earn the sole non-Division I invitation.
The five judges for the Denny's Slam Dunk Championship are: Hall of Famer and second-leading scorer in NBA history Karl Malone; Hall of Famer and former Houston Rocket Calvin Murphy; 2008 first-round NBA draft pick and Houston Rocket Courtney Lee; former Kentucky standout, current Houston Rocket and 2005 College Slam Dunk participant Chuck Hayes; and two-time Pro-Bowl participant and former Defensive Rookie of the Year, Houston Texan DeMeco Ryans.
The State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships program consists of the Mercedes-Benz Men's 3-Point Shooting Championship, State Farm Women's 3-Point Shooting Championship, Battle of the Champions and the Denny's Slam Dunk Championship. FRS Healthy Performance, Skechers, TD Ameritrade and U.S. Marines are participating sponsors in the event.
The ESPN broadcast team includes Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Brad Nessler and Holly Rowe. The program will reair numerous times on ESPN networks.