Archbishop Carroll senior Derrick Jones claimed the 2014 title at the City of Palms. (Photo: Kelli Krebs / The News-Press)
Derrick Jones from Archbishop Carroll in Philadelphia won the slam dunk contest at the City of Palms event in December. Rex Pflueger from Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., won the title at the Max Preps Holiday Classic.
Two of the elite dunkers in the nation, Jones and Pflueger highlight the field at the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships on April 1 in suburban Indianapolis. The event will air Sunday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The fields for the fifth annual slam dunk and men’s and women’s three-point championships were announced Tuesday by Intersport. Players who are going to schools in the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Pac-12, Big East, Big 12, Mountain West and Mid-American Conference.
Each competition also includes a “Fearless Dreamer,” who secured his or her spot by winning an online competition and surviving four rigorous rounds of voting. In the slam dunk contest, the winner was Kyle Ahrens, a Michigan State signee from Versailles, Ohio. The three-point winners were Jessica Norris from Center Grove in Greenwood, Ind., and Jaelan Sanford, a Toledo signee from F.J. Reitz in Indianapolis.
“This is a talented group of student-athletes,” said Telisa Yancy, vice president of marketing at American Family Insurance. “It is their hard work, dedication and persistence that have gotten them to this point in their careers. We are excited to provide them this opportunity to celebrate those characteristics.”
In the men’s three-point championship, three players are from Texas, including D.J. Hogg, who just won Plano West a state championship on a last-second shot.
In the women’s three-point championship, USC signee Aliyah Mazyck represents two-time North Carolina state champion Myers Park (Charlotte) and Duke commit Faith Suggs from Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.) is ranked as the No. 5 guard in the nation by ESPN.com.
American Family Insurance Slam Dunk Championship
Name – High School – College Choice
Donovan Mitchell – Brewster Academy (Greenwich, Conn.) – Louisville
Rajon Tucker – Northside Christian (Charlotte) – Florida Gulf Coast
Rex Pflueger – Mater Dei (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) – Notre Dame
Derrick Jones – Archbishop Carroll (Philadelphia) – UNLV
Kerwin Roach Jr. – North Shore (Houston) – Texas
Prince Ali – The Sagemont School (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) – UCLA
Kyle Ahrens – Versailles (Ohio) – Michigan St.
Marines 3-Point Championship (Men’s)
Name – High School – College Choice
D.J. Hogg – Plano West (Plano, Texas) – Texas A&M
Matt McQuaid – Duncanville (Texas) – Michigan St.
Brevin Pritzl – De Pere (Wisc.) – Wisconsin
Ryan Cline – Carmel (Ind.) – Purdue
Tevin Mack – Dreher (Columbia, S.C.) – VCU
Austin Grandstaff – Rockwall (Texas) – Ohio State
Jalen Coleman – La Lumiere School (Indianapolis) – Illinois
Jaelan Sanford – F.J. Reitz (Indianapolis) – Toledo
American Family Insurance 3-Point Championship (Women’s)
Name – High School – College Choice
Kennedy Burke – Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) – UCLA
Faith Suggs – Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.) – Duke
Katie McWilliams – South Salem (Salem, Ore.) – Oregon St.
Danni Williams – Clovis (N.M.) – Texas A&M
Tiara Murphy – Washington (Indianapolis) – Purdue
Aliyah Mazyck – Myers Park (Charlotte) – USC
Brittany Ward – Pike (Indianapolis) – Butler
Jessica Norris – Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) – Undecided
For those in the Indianapolis area, tickets can be purchased for $5 at the Carmel High School athletic office or at the gym on the night of the event. The main school number is (317) 846-7721.
