March 31, 2008
College Park, Md. - Maryland's James Gist (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) will participate in the 20th Annual State Farm College Slam Dunk Championships Thursday, April 3 at the Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas. The event will be televised on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Slam Dunk Championship will follow the men's and women's Three-Point Championships.
Gist, one of seven contestants in the slam dunk competition, is scheduled to compete against Will Bullard (Texas A&M-Corpus Chrsiti), Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Georgetown), J.R. Giddens (New Mexico), Brian Randle (Illinois), Deron Washington (Virginia Tech) and Sonny Weems (Arkansas). Judges for the slam dunk contest include David Robinson, Emmit Smith and Kellen Winslow, Jr.
A second team All-ACC selection, Gist averaged 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest as a senior. He was also named to the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2007-08. Gist was fourth in the ACC in rebounds and eighth in scoring. He was second in the conference in blocked shots (2.33 bpg) and finished his career as one of just five players in school history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots.
Gist recorded 14 career double-doubles, including 23 points and 11 rebounds in Maryland's season finale at Syracuse. He scored in double figures 73 times as a Terrapin and pulled down at least five rebounds in 86 games.
Jamar Butler (Ohio State), Jaycee Carroll (Utah State), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), A.J. Graves (Butler), Chris Lofton (Tennessee), Derrick Low (Washington State), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State) and Brian Roberts (Dayton) are scheduled to compete in the men's three-point shooting contest.
Meg Bulger (West Virginia), Quianna Chaney (LSU), Joyce Ekworomadu (Texas State), Kiki Lund (Dayton), Chioma Nnamaka (Georgia Tech), Marscilla Packer (Ohio State), Allie Quigley (DePaul) and Maurita Reid (Miami) will compete in the women's three-point shooting contest.
