TAMPA, Fla -- Checking in from Thursday night's 11th annual college slam dunk and 3-point basketball championships, from the Ice Palace:

Memorable late entries
Florida Atlantic's Gary Durrant wasn't even supposed to be in the dunk contest. But with the competition going down across the Florida peninsula from his school, he couldn't pass it up. But how could he get the dunk-contest search committee, looking nationally, to look right around the corner?
Durrant used his own money to produce a highlight video of his best dunks. The tape eventually found its way to Intersport, which was producing the event and desided to add him at the last minute. he got the invitation Tuesday night.

Inspired by the crowd -- and spending more time signing autographs for eager kids than hanging out on the sideline with the other contestants --Durrant brought a showman's touch to the night. In the semifinals, he distinguished himself with a crowd-pleasing dunk over a seated Dick Vitale. Slam jam indeed.
In the finals, Durrant had to beat a 37.6 score, earned by Southern illinois' Monte Jenkins after he vaulted over some arena signage placed in front of the basket. Then Durrant grabbed the Tampa Bay Lightning mascot.
On his first attempt, Durrant cleared the "lighning bug" (or whatever it's supposed to be) but missed the dunk (no score penalty). Durrant lined up for on last attempt. He skied over the head of the mascot -- between its antennae, in fact, like a

human field goal -- completed the dunk with a vicious right hand, landed to the roar of the crowd and a chest bump from a relieved lightning bug, followed by a crush of youngsters eagerly embracing the new champ.
"I had a wonderful time with the kids," he said. "It was destiny."

His score? "37 ... point ... 8!"