[McDunkin]

The 2011 NBA D-League Showcase Slam Dunk and Three-Point Contests will air again on VERSUS this Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. In case you haven’t seen it yet or just want to be reminded why you should see it again, here are some reasons to watch on Saturday.

Future NBA Player Chris Johnson In Action

One of the four players that took part in the Dunk Contest is now on an NBA roster. Dakota Wizards center Chris Johnson earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday afternoon. The 6-11 Johnson was the tallest competitor in the contest and pulled off some stellar dunks with help from teammate Vernon Hamilton. Johnson took on Springfield Armor guard L.D. Williams, Bakersfield (now Iowa) forward Marqus Blakely, and New Mexico’s Dar Tucker, who won the Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in Dallas last February.

Former College Stars Shooting Threes

The three-point contest attracted a talented field of NBA D-League players, and many names are familiar to basketball fans for their excellent careers on the college level. Just a few of the names that you can watch on Saturday include former Villanova All-American Scottie Reynolds (Springfield), former University of Tennessee standout Chris Lofton (Iowa), fomer Wisconsin star and NBA veteran Marcus Landry (Reno), and Basketball Times 2009-10 Division Two Player of the Year Jamar Smith of Southern Indiana (Maine). Utah Flash guard Andre Ingram, one of the league’s all-time leaders in three-pointers, also took part in addition to former Indiana and UAB star Robert Vaden (Tulsa), Texas Legends guard Booker Woodfox, and Fort Wayne’s Corey Allmond.

Can Dar Tucker Top His All-Star Peformance?

New Mexico Thunderbirds Dar Tucker made headlines last February when he sealed a win in the NBA D-League All-Star Dunk Contest by jumpring right over 6-11 Brian Butch. Tucker also took part in this dunk contest to defend his crown as the NBA D-League’s top dunker. Watch on VERSUS at 11:59 p.m. to see how he fares in South Padre Island.

Three-Point Shootout With A Twist

The Three-Point Contest that you can watch on Saturday adds a new wrinkle in the form of a moveable money ball rack. One rack consisting of all money balls can be moved to a spot on the court chosen by each contestant, lending a bit more strategy to the proceedings than the average three-point shootout.

L.D. Williams: Coached By The Best

Springfield Armor slam dunk contestant L.D. Williams had quite a mentor for the contest in the form of his head coach, NBA veteran Dee Brown. Basketball fans of course remember Brown’s winning performance in the 1991 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, highlighted by his no-look dunk that took home the trophy. Brown was on hand at the event in South Padre Island to cheer on his player as he hoped to follow in his footsteps.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/versus_contests_110130.html

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Chris Lofton is on the short list of guys I am absolutely stunned has never gotten a shot in the NBA. He was incredible as a junior at Tennessee, and was going through cancer treatments during a rough senior year. After that, he went to Turkey and hit shots. He hit shots with Estudiantes last year. He is making shots in Iowa. Something doesn’t add up, because there aren’t so many good shooters in the NBA that some of the dog teams of the league couldn’t see if he could knock down a few jumpers for them too.

[I May Be WrongParticipant]

Wow, pretty clever idea actually. I think I’ll catch it to see how they perform with that idea.

[bennydabullParticipant]

Dar Tucker had some real nasty dunks last year. I was drunk as hail one night in Lincoln Park by Depaul area at a taco joint and saw Dar Tucker with 2 girls eating some enchiladas loll

[Author]

Posts