Before I completely shift gears into spring sports mode, let me leave you with one final thought on the prep basketball season. Some of you probably don't remember, but back in the day, Oakland County used to have a 3-point shooting and slam dunk contest at the conclusion of every season. I say, lets bring 'em back. It used to be an awesome event that brought together all of the area's top hoopsters for a night of fun and excitement. High-flying, rim-rattling air shows and skilled sniper displays were the status quo back in the 1990's when I attended the majority of them. I even participated in one. I shot in the 1995 OC 3-point shootout and missed the cut off for the second round by one make - i hit nine in 90 seconds and the cut off was 10. That finally miss before the first round buzzer still haunts me to this day....lol. Memories of NBA'r Shane Battier's "cartwheel" jam in '95, NFL'r David Bowens' thunderous tomahawk in the '94 dunk final that took home the crown, and Walled Lake Central's Adam McCarthy breaking the record for makes in the '93 3-point contest by swishing virtually all 26 of his long distance connections, stand out in my mind some fifteen years later.

So, lets talk about getting it back up and running for 2010. The Oakland Press used to sponsor it and I'm going to do everything in my power to re-charge interest in the idea at the paper from my end. If you're an Oakland County prep hoop feign who plays on your school's varsity squad a nd are interested in getting something like this organized for next year, let your voice be heard - call, write oak press sports editor Jeff Kuehn, bother your coaches and athletic directors to bring the idea up at their conference meetings. You guys could be the difference!!

The county's once beloved slam dunk and 3-point contest live, if at least only in my found recollections and on this blog!  

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