When most people hear the term “basketball in Indiana” they think of the movie Hoosiers, Bob Knight, Larry Bird, and fundamentally sound white dudes with picture perfect releases on their shot.
I grew up in Indiana so I know that while that stereotype is there for a reason, there is much more to basketball in our proud state than short shorts and short jumpers.
So…if I told you that the dunk of the year in college basketball (at least so far)Â comes from tiny Goshen College in Indiana -Â a Mennonite liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,000 – I’d assume that you’d all be just as surprised as I am.
But don’t be.
Thus far – and you can correct if I’m wrong by posting links to other dunks in the comment section – I haven’t seen a more emphatic, thunderous, and impressive dunk in college basketball this year than the one below.
The player is Errick McCollum, a senior at NAIA Division II Goshen, and the dunk came against Grace College on January 5th, 2010.
Watch the video and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Video: Errick McCollum’s Awesome Dunk During Goshen-Grace Game
And while McCollum’s school may be tiny and unknown, he certainly qualifies as a big fish in a little pond.
In addition to receiving regular rotation on today’s SportsCenter, McCollum is the second all-time leading scorer in Goshen basketball history. At just 6’2, he is the school’s all-time leader in rebounds and free throws.
McCollum was also named NAIA Player of the Week at least once last year, and has been named to the All Mid-Central College Conference team and NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball All America Honorable Mention in each of his three seasons at Goshen.
So this ridiculous display of timing and athleticism was not a fluke. As is often the case in Indiana and elsewhere, there are some damn good players playing at small colleges.
Congratulations to Errick McCollum for turning in a sick dunk and shining a brief national spotlight on himself and his college.
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* – Errick McCollum photo credit: CantonRep


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