State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships
Television: ESPN, 8:00pm (Live)
Thursday night in Dallas, Ethan Wragge will participate in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships and have one last chance to rain down #WraggeBombs in a Creighton uniform. Televised live on ESPN, the event — which has been held in conjunction with the Final Four for 26 years — will showcase 24 of college basketball’s best above-the-rim players and long-range-bombers. Wragge made 47 percent (110-for-234) of his attempts from beyond the arc this season en route to honorable mention All-Big East honors.
“When I found out I’d been selected, I was excited,” Wragge told the media on Tuesday. “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do, so I was really happy to have the chance. I think my odds are good. The other competitors are all really good shooters. My mobility is limited because of what’s going on with my body, but I still think I have a good chance.”
Wragge struggled over the last month of the season with a knee injury, and will have surgery later this month. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem tonight, as the only running he’ll be doing is from one rack to the next, but it could affect his chances at a pro career. “I still want to play. I’m not ready to give it up yet, but a lot depends on how bad the knee is. We’ll just have to see how I’m feeling when the surgery is done.’’
While he’s never participated in a three-point shooting contest of this stature before, he has competed in the three-point contest at Bluejay Madness each of the past four years, with varied levels of success. This past October, he combined with Sarah Nelson to make 18 in the first round, but was eliminated in the second when the duo made just 11. In 2012, he teamed up with Tessa Leytem to connect on 13 in the first round, but was once again eliminated in the second round. In 2011, he combined with Taylor Johnson to make just 10, and didn’t even advance to the next round. And in 2010, he teamed up with Ally Jensen and advanced to the second round, where they were eliminated after making 14 buckets.
“I’ve never done the grab-and-shoot thing before by myself,” Wragge said on Tuesday, “so it’ll be a little different.”
He’ll be competing against Baylor’s Brady Heslip, Oakland’s Travis Bader, Canisius’ Billy Baron, Louisville’s Luke Hancock, Marshall Henderson of Mississippi and Akeem Richmond of East Carolina.
Teammate Doug McDermott thinks he’ll do well. “I like his chances,” he told the media on Tuesday. “There isn’t a better shooter in the country, as I’ve said all year long. It might be a little different shooting out of the racks for him, instead of catching and shooting, but his chances are good.”
Wragge will be the third Creighton player to take part in the men’s three-point contest. Kyle Korver finished second in the 2003 competition to Butler guard Darnell Archey, while Booker Woodfox participated but was eliminted in the first round of the 2009 competition won by Miami’s Jack McClinton.
Viewers tuning in will notice a different look for The Lumberjack — his trademark beard is no more. “I shaved it off a couple of days ago,” he remarked to the media. “It was gross.”
The event will be held at the Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus, and also includes the Quicken Loans Men’s 3-Point Championship, Buick Women’s 3-Point Championship, Echo Battle of the Champions and the Denny’s Slam Dunk Championship.