4.6^011 I The Blue Banner I 11
l/\IILLIAMS LEAPS, LANDS SECOND
Williams turned
heads and TV
remotes in NCAA
dunk contest
John McIntyre
jpmdnty@unca.edu - Staff Writer
“That is just sick,” exclaimed
one of the announcers at the
2011 NCAA Final Four dunk
contest. He had just witnessed
UNC Asheville senior John
Williams leap over Memphis’
6-foot-9-inch center Will Cole
man and perform a dunk that
nearly disproved the existence
of gravity.
In addition to being an expert
dunker, Williams is UNCA’s all-
time leader in blocked shots. He
consistently contributes points
in double digits and dominates
the boards like no other. The
6-foot-4-inch, 215 lb forward
is a force to be reckoned with,
and undoubtedly one of the
most exciting players in UNCA
history.
Last
Thursday,
Williams
went to the
Hofheinz
Pavilion in
Houston to
represent
the Bull
dogs in a ■—
dunk con
test against seven other NCAA
basketball players from around
tfie country. The judging panel
included NBA legends Karl
Malone and Calvin Murphy.
“Being around all these play
ers and being at the Final Four
was an incredible experience.
It was something I’ll never for
get,” Williams said.
The eight contestants battled
head to head in a quarter, semi
final and final structure, dimin
ishing in numbers as the contest
progressed. Williams displayed
some challenging and creative
manuevers and made every
dunk on the first attempt, earn
ing him second place in the
contest.
John Williams
Senior John Williams dunks in a
He began his turn with a
wraparound windmill dunk that
started from behind the basket,
earning a score of 46 out of 50
from the judges.
Possibly the most notable
dunk by Williams was his sec
ond one, the epic “candle in the
wind,” in which the UNCA for
ward blew out a candle in mid
air moments before grabbing
the ball held up by another con
testant on a ladder. This dunk
received a 49.
“John Williams just tore it
up. I definitely think he should
have won the contest, UNCA
junior Kent Rankin said.
Williams’ third dunk, where
he hopped over Memphis Will
Photo courtesy of UNCA Athletics
home game this season. He clinched second place Thursday at the NCAA dunk competition.
" he brought the ball below his
waist and then above his head
to finish out the dunk. Williams
continued hanging onto the rim
by his elbow for about 10 sec
onds after slamming it through,
while the other contestants ran
onto the court to congratulate
him.
“I thought my last dunk was
a winner. I haven’t seen anyone
else do that,” Williams said.
Jacob Tucker, a 5-foot-ll-
inch viral sensation from Illi
nois College with a supposed
50-inch vertical leap, edged
past Williams 50-46 on the final
dunk to win the contest.
"The thing I'm most proud of is that I got
to wear the Bulldogs uniform one more
time and represent UNC Asheville at this
prestigious event."
John Wiliams
Men's basketball player
Coleman and secured a perfect
50, brought to mind the insane
exhibition of vertical prowess
at last October’s Jammin’ at the
Justice when Williams jumped
over both 7-foot-2-inch center
Sean Hobbs and 6-foot-1-inch
guard J.P. Primm before he
executed a strong two-handed
dunk.
Then there was Williams’
final dunk. While in the air.
see UNCA on page 12