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March Madness: Rosters Announced for College All-Star Game and Contests

By Chris Godfrey

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The Final Four festivities don’t actually begin on Saturday evening when Duke and Michigan State meet to kick off the NCAA Tournament’s national semifinal. The fun starts tonight when State Farm hosts the College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championship at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse (7pm, ESPN), and it will continue tomorrow during the Reese’s College All-Star Game that will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium (4:30pm, TruTV).

Like the NFL’s Pro Bowl, the College All-Star Game struggles to attract the best names available, but it always introduces us to quality players from around the country that may not be household names. The event is also building a solid list of participants that have used the game as a springboard to eventual stints in the NBA. Jerelle Benimon, an unknown prospect from Towson who played in last year’s game, cracked an NBA roster for a few moments before going back to the D-League.

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More notable alumni of the game who announced their talents at this game include Troy Daniels, Mike Muscala, Brandon Davies, James Ennis, Robert Sacre, Jae Crowder, Lavoy Allen, Jimmy Butler, Kenneth Faried, and Aron Baynes. Excluding Jimmy Butler, history tells us that this event is essentially an NBA Draft workout for potential next level role players and benchwarmers. However, those guys win championships. That aforementioned motley crew of Reese’s College All-Star alumni includes an NBA Champion (Baynes), NBA All-Star (Butler), and an FIBA World Cup Gold Medalist (Faried).

I’m really just doing my best to prepare you for the randomness of these all-star rosters.

For some reason, the State Farm Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championship never has a problem attracting the best in flight and sniping. Maybe these types of events are just plain more fun than playing in an actual game after a whole season of them. This year the field for the 3-point contest is especially loaded with reputable gunners, and the dunk contest never disappoints. Honestly, it’s often better than the NBA’s event (admittedly, I doubt anyone’s topping Zach Lavine’s performance from this year’s contest).

These are the participants in this year’s Final Four All-Star festivities.

State Farm Slam Dunk & 3-Point Participants

Reese’s College All-Star Game Roster

The slam dunk and 3-point contests are sure to be the more exciting of these events. Both fields are loaded with known specialists in the respective areas.

The favorite in the dunk contest is Wichita’s Tekele Cotton, who may have the best reputation for in-game dunking among those in the field. A dark horse contender would be Keifer Sykes from Green Bay. He will have the little man advantage as the shortest dunker in the field. It’s also wise to keep an eye on the dunkers coming from small schools. Whatever these guys were doing was special enough to have someone watching game footage of schools like Delta State and Tartleton State.

The three-point contest is loaded with recognizable and certifiable assassins from long range. There are no weak links in the field, which makes picking a favorite very difficult. I’d lean towards the player who was playing competitive basketball most recently. That leaves us with Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton and Kevin Pangos from Gonzaga, even though the best pure shooters are Matt Carlino from Marquette and Butler’s Alex Barlow. Between the four, Connaughton seems to be on the biggest role. I’d pick him to win. The dark horse is clearly Corey Hawkins from UC-Davis. He has the most to gain out of anyone playing this weekend. Winning the 3-Point Championship and playing well in Friday’s all-star game could make him a lot of money either home or abroad.

Friday’s All-Star game unofficially kicks off evaluation of these seniors as NBA Draft-eligible prospects. This year’s all-star roster doesn’t include any players with a comfortable draft stock. Each of the participants will be attempting to standout by showing skill, but most importantly, versatility. Stephen F. Austin’s Jacob Parker played in the post while with the Lumberjacks, but standing at 6’6, he willl have to prove an ability to play on the perimeter to increase his stock. Undersized scoring guards such as Darrun Hilliard and D’Angelo Harrison will take turns running the point to set the barometer in terms of their ability to grasp a possible position change.

With pro scouts sure to be present, expect this to be a competitive game that sees both teams going all out for victory. That’s the best kind of all-star game to watch, one that has high stakes for everyone involved.

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