Tennessee's Sidney Spencer grabbed the defensive rebound and threw the ball across midcourt. Candace Parker ran onto the pass and then took off.
I know enough about life to realize that there was a better-than-good chance that I was about to witness something my previous 30 years, 6 months and 28 days on this planet never produced.
With each stride Parker took, I moved closer to the edge of my couch. She's at the top of the key. I'm nearly off the couch. Now she's at the foul line. Now I'm standing.
Parker is airborne. Above the rim. Slam!
Parker, a 6-4 redshirt freshman for the Lady Vols, just threw down the first dunk in NCAA women's tournament history.
With all due props to Dominique Wilkins' tomahawks and double-pump windmills, Michael Jordan's "Kiss the rim," Vince Carter's reverse 360s and Dee Brown's no-look, this was the coolest dunk ever.
"I was buzzing," Tennessee guard Shanna Zolman said, "and I was on the bench."
And she did it in smooth fashion with one fluid movement. The ball in her right hand the entire way, Parker never broke stride. Once she caught the pass just over midcourt, the decision was already made.
"It's a relief to finally do it and get it over with and be done with it," said Parker, who's been hounded with "When you gonna dunk?" questions from fans since she arrived in Knoxville two seasons ago.
When a player gets dunked on, they called it getting "posterized." What do we call this, postering?
Parker's dunk will become a poster. It will hang on the bedroom walls of many a Tennessee fan. It will hang on the bedroom walls of little girls the way John Starks' "The Dunk" poster from the 1993 playoffs against Chicago hung on the walls of all Knicks fans and short guys who wanted to feel tall.
Parker won the McDonald's High School Slam Dunk Contest in 2004 against the guys. She's the only person in history to be named national high school player of the year by USA Today twice. She's been called SheBron.
With that one dunk, Parker made people notice. Made people realize that women can ball, too. Made the average sports fan not living in Knoxville or Storrs talk about women's basketball in non-derisive tones.
Parker is the next evolution of former UConn stud Diana Taurasi. Parker will change the way the game is played in her four years of Tennessee, assuming she doesn't decide to challenge the WNBA rules which prevent a player from leaving school early for the draft. Not that she should even consider that. The way sports works now, she'd get much more attention in college than in the WNBA. But still, she's that good.
Not content with just one dunk that energized No. 2 Tennessee and triggered a 24-2 run against No. 15 Army in the first round of March Madess, Parker did it again in the second half. This one came from the baseline on a give-and-go with Nikki Anosike.
The baseline? The baseline!
Wait a second. Am I trying to tell you that a woman dunked out of a half-court set, from a designed play, without having to run the length of the court to pick up enough speed to elevate above the rim?
Yes! I am telling you that a woman dunked out of a half-court set, from a designed play, without having to run the length of the court to pick up enough speed to elevate above the rim!
With all due props to first-half Candace Parker, second-half Candace Parker now owns the coolest dunk ever.
When do we get to see the windmill?
Comments (7)
Why are you making such a big thing out of a dunk.So she can make the sportscenter highlights and you can continue to delude yourself that Americans are the best baksetball players in the world.
Last time I looked its still only 2 points (perhaps they should reduce it to one) and ever since the male "pros" have focussed on these "dunks" we have been getting our rear ends kicked in international play.
Maybe its time for the females to follow her lead. Of course we won't get the gold medal (men or women) in the next olympics but in the politically correct USA, style and phot ops obviousely take precedent over winning.
It's no big deal
it wasn't even a dunk. It was a layup and she touched the rim. wow?
Candace "Dunkadelic" Parker has a nice ring to it. The females need this for there game it's the evolution of the female athlete. The dunk is the most spectacular play in basketball. The 2008 USA Basketball Team will return us back to dominance. It will be a more mature and athletic team that takes the floor in 08'. Kobe, Amare, D-Wade, LeBron, and Carmelo will bring home the gold because they are motivated to show the world that we are still the best.
Candace Parker beat guys out in the Mcdonalds all american dunk contest. So why isn't she getting any respect. Can YOU dunk?
yeah..did you see the dunk contest? to say she "beat" the guys is a bit misleading. she didnt even try anything challenging, and barely got the ball in over the rim w/o much power. she made all of her dunks, and the guys missed some of theirs, so if she "won" anything, it was out of attrition. no one who saw it or was there would say she was the best dunker there.
oh, and that "dunk" vs army...when i was playing, i wouldnt have counted that as a dunk...and yes, i could dunk very well, so it is important to me.
give me a lady who rocks the rim, and i will be happy to hand it to her, but parker has gotten all kinds of slack just for being able to do it, and i dont think it is really fair to the sport of women's basketball...its not some huge leap forward.
Candace parker can dunk I'm sick and tired of hearing negative comments about her. She is a good all around player so don't hate. She's hot too.
she's tight