Simmons Eliminated From Dark Horse Dunker Contest
Mar 17, 2014 | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha senior guard Justin Simmons was eliminated from the 2014 State Farm Dark Horse Dunker contest on Monday, falling to winner Marcus Lewis of Eastern Kentucky in the final round. The winner was determined by a five-week-long online fan vote through Facebook that began Feb. 10.
"I truly appreciate the great support from our fans through this entire dunk contest," Simmons said. "I wish I could thank everyone personally. We made a great run to the championship round and came up just short. This was an incredible opportunity in my senior year, and I am thankful for the chance to have represented Omaha nationally.”
Voting began with 16 finalists, and Simmons won his Round One matchup against Deonte Jones of Texas Wesleyan. Round Two, which began Feb. 24, pitted Simmons head-to-head against Brison White of Northwestern State, and Simmons pulled off a last-minute win by just 40 votes. In the semi-final round that started March 3, Simmons got past Jordan Adams of Western State with a 70-vote differential.
Simmons, a native of Milwaukee, Wis., still has a shot to become one of 16 contestants in the State Farm College Slam Dunk Contest set for April 3 over Final Four weekend in Dallas. Lewis will take one spot as the Dark Horse Dunker, and the other 15 dunkers are chosen by contest administrators from Intersport. Simmons goes into the pool for the at-large selection and if not initially chosen, could be an alternate should an invitee choose not to travel to Dallas.
Simmons and his Omaha teammates now turn their attention to the Mavericks' first Division I postseason appearance, as they host North Dakota in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday, March 19. Tipoff is set for 7:07 p.m. at Ralston Arena.
"I truly appreciate the great support from our fans through this entire dunk contest," Simmons said. "I wish I could thank everyone personally. We made a great run to the championship round and came up just short. This was an incredible opportunity in my senior year, and I am thankful for the chance to have represented Omaha nationally.”
Voting began with 16 finalists, and Simmons won his Round One matchup against Deonte Jones of Texas Wesleyan. Round Two, which began Feb. 24, pitted Simmons head-to-head against Brison White of Northwestern State, and Simmons pulled off a last-minute win by just 40 votes. In the semi-final round that started March 3, Simmons got past Jordan Adams of Western State with a 70-vote differential.
Simmons, a native of Milwaukee, Wis., still has a shot to become one of 16 contestants in the State Farm College Slam Dunk Contest set for April 3 over Final Four weekend in Dallas. Lewis will take one spot as the Dark Horse Dunker, and the other 15 dunkers are chosen by contest administrators from Intersport. Simmons goes into the pool for the at-large selection and if not initially chosen, could be an alternate should an invitee choose not to travel to Dallas.
Simmons and his Omaha teammates now turn their attention to the Mavericks' first Division I postseason appearance, as they host North Dakota in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday, March 19. Tipoff is set for 7:07 p.m. at Ralston Arena.
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