Mindaugas Katelynas of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team will compete Thursday in the Mountain Dew College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Basketball Championships held in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships Final Four.
The contest will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo. The event will be televised nationally by ESPN beginning at 9 p.m.
Joining Katelynas in the competition are Wesley Duke of Mercer; Chuck Hayes, Kentucky; Rawle Marshall, Oakland; Jason Maxiell, Cincinnati; Ed McCants, Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Daniel McGaffeny, West Virginia Tech and Jameel Pugh, Sacramento State.
Last year’s winner in San Antonio, Texas, was Andre Emmett of Texas Tech.
The contest includes three rounds of competition. The players with the four highest total scores in the first round advance to the semifinals. The players with the two highest scores in the semis advance to the finals.
The contestants get to attempt two dunks in the first round, one in the semis and one in the finals. Celebrity judges will grade each dunk, giving marks from 1.0 to 10.0.
There will also be eight men and eight women competing in three-point shooting contests.