 High School Basketball:
Schalick's Darryl Gause Slams Home Dunk Contest
Saturday, March 31, 2001
By Art Redd
SJSports Staff Writer
There was a high flying aerial event going on at Rutgers-Camden this past Saturday afternoon which featured some talented high school seniors. Right before the start of the 24th Annual All-Star Games of South Jersey which featured coaches and players from 30 schools, a spectacular slam dunk contest took place which showcased some of our area finest athletes to enter the collegiate level. This event gave the crowd enough dunks that lifted them out of their seats. After the final dunks were completed, Schalick's Darryl Gause and Millville's Azime Smith finished in a tie which sent both players into a final tie breaker dunk.
 In the past years, the crowd would marvel at a basketball player being able to leap high enough to throw down a slam dunk for two points. At an all-star slam dunk contest, the expectations of the crowd and judges are a bit higher than usual. Still to this day, the legendary dunk by Michael Jordan leaping from the foul line hanging in the air still lingers in the young minds of these players. Dr. J would be proud of them all. But today, players have come up with brand new ways of looking for that perfect 10 score from all the judges.
Some of the day's highlights featured bouncing the ball, pulling your shirt off and throwing down the two hand flush dunk. Or try the leaping from under the backboard two hand deposit dunk. The four players that got the crowd buzzing the most were Azime Smith (Millville HS), Luke Tongue (Hammonton HS), Sakeen Wright (Glassboro HS) and Darryl Gause (Schalick HS). Each used either a fan from out of the crowd or an object as a prop to leap over "Anthony Carter" style. In the end with tired leaping legs, Gause our lasted Smith in the final dunk to give the Dunk-master prize. Other participants of this event were Ryan Henderson (Delsea HS), Marques Grantt (Woodrow Wilson HS), Jeff Dankanich (Florence HS) and Michael McGinley (Moorestown HS).
The Albert J. Carino Boy's Basketball Club of South Jersey and Lions International District 16-B and District 16-C presented this annual all-star game. The previous 23 games have been able to provide a total of 173 scholarships totaling $49,000 in assisting South Jersey basketball players towards their college education. The Lions Club in District 16-B and District 16-C have also received an amount of $49,000 over the past 23 years and have donated their monies to the following organization: John D. Young Blind Center, Atlantic City; Helen Dilliar Vacation Home for the Blind, Cape May; Camden Optometric Center; Lions Delaware Valley Eye Bank; Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia; and Deborah Heart Hospital.
Photos by Art Redd
                
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High School Basketball:
