Marcus Smart and Julius Randle dazzle during impromptu dunk contest
Dunk contests rarely feature superstars anymore, which is why this is why this Ball is Life footage from a University of Texas Arlington open gym this week has created such buzz on social media.
In one corner is Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, maybe the top returning player in college basketball next season and a potential top five pick in next June's NBA draft. In the other corner is Kentucky forward Julius Randle, another potential top-five pick and the most coveted freshman in the nation besides some guy named Wiggins.
The result is an impromptu dunk contest that may not break new ground but definitely contains plenty of eye-popping slams. My personal favorite is Randle's behind-the-back one-hander (0:30) that draws a hilarious reaction from Smart, though both Smart and Randle going off the side of the glass (o:38 and 1:00) are also crowd pleasers.
So, who's your champ? I'd give Randle the slight edge, but neither has any reason to be ashamed. And the fact we get to watch these guys in college from now until March makes us all winners.
