Best of Midnight Madness: Memphis forward's highlight-worthy dunk
Midnight Madness produces some memorable moments each year, so The Dagger is chronicling the best ones from this October's lineup. If you spot something we missed, let us know here or here.
Memphis didn't have a formal dunk contest at its Midnight Madness event this year, but there's little doubt who would have won if the Tigers had kept score. Chris Hawkins, a 6-foot-6 forward from Southwest Tennessee Community College, threw the ball off the glass to himself, caught it in mid air and went between the legs in one motion before finishing with a smooth one-handed dunk. The dunk wasn't the only sign that Hawkins might be able to make an immediate impact for the Tigers. The undersized forward showed a toughness Memphis has sometimes lacked in previous years on the team's foreign tour of Canada this summer, averaging 13.3 points per game during the three-game trip. Injuries slowed Hawkins in junior college but he flashed promise at Sun Prairie High School in Wisconsin. He averaged 17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds his senior season, leading his team to an appearance in the section finals.
More from the Best of Midnight Madness series:
• North Carolina's Kennedy Meeks performs 'I will always love you'
• Bill Self recreates Andrew Wiggins' infamous draft day outfit
• Clemson student sinks $25,000 half-court shot
• Costume-clad Tubby Smith crashes motorcycle
• Drake's appearance at Kentucky includes cringe-worthy air ball
• Mercer's Ike Nwamu leaps over teammate, throws down big dunk
• New Mexico coach shaves his head for a good cause
• Memphis guard throws down off-the-glass, between-the-legs slam
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
