MANILA – Justin Gutang was adjudged NCAA slam dunk champion after the contest concluded at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City on Friday.
The College of St. Benilde (CSB) winger edged Lyceum’s Enoch Valdez and Arellano’s William De Leon in the final round to claim the title.
Gutang rocked the venue in the preliminaries, converting a two-handed slam off an alley-oop by fellow Blazer Jimboy Pasturan off the side of the backboard, earning him a 46.
De Leon and Valdez earned their own places in the dunk final after scoring 44 and 41 in their preliminary dunks respectively.
San Sebastian’s Ken Villapando provided some laughs when he brought in teammate Allyn Bulanadi for what seemed like a hurdle dunk attempt on him only for Villapando to just do a side step on Bulanadi for the slam. His 39 point total fell short of making the cut.
De Leon and Valdez, however, failed to convert their tries in the dunk final, opening an opportunity for Gutang to win it by just merely making a slam.
Gutang settled for a left-handed power jam that earned him 41 points in the final round. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
