When P'Allen Stinnett dunked over Shang Ping -- posterized him, really -- for the last points in Creighton's 74-62 win over Nebraska, it was the perfect exclamation point to the butt-kicking buffet served up cold by the Jays. (Because buffets of buck-kicking are best served cold).
And as we left the arena, I started cycling through my mental DVR for a better -- or similar -- dunk, given the circumstances. A 2000 near-dunk by Justin Haynes came to mind, which would have capped a 20-something-point second-half rally against Indiana State. Several Rodney Buford dunks came to mind, but in terms of direct comparisons, his dunk late in the Louisville game in the 1999 NCAA Tournament probably matches up pretty well. That too punctuated a great day for the Jays.
When I got home from the bars late Saturday night (OK, early Sunday morning), I flipped on my actual DVR to what was sure to be an epic replay of the dunk from multiple compelling angles. And...not so much.
Action3's low-budget production values captured the dunk from exactly ONE angle, and it was the standard high-center-court angle. I've always hesitated to give Action3 too much grief because they do a fair amount of road games, and given the choice between not seeing those games and having to put up with their Dollar Store production, I'll take the Dollar Store production every day of the week.
But seriously guys, one angle? Really?
The lack of a quality replay has actually given this dunk a mythic quality among the many Jays fans I've spoken with this week. With no good video footage to provide the memory, suddenly the story of the dunk is better than the actual dunk itself.
What footage Action3 did show I managed to capture and throw onto YouTube, so that I could email it around to a bunch of people I know in Lincoln. That's always fun. And since I couldn't find a photo of it, I painted my own picture of it. The result is very LeRoy Nieman, not that this is a bad thing...(and before you critique my artwork, just know that I spent all of 10 minutes on it).
You bet.
EDIT: One of my colleagues on the CU Video Team managed to capture footage of the mythical dunk from the baseline. I must warn you, its pretty much the most dominant thing EVER. Yes, ever is a long time, but I'm prepared to make that statement. And I do reserve the right to amend it after P'Allen's next great dunk. He is, after all, just a freshman, and one would have to imagine there will be more dominance to come. Look out below.
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