31-01-2025
The best dunk contest of the year is …by the Nebraska football team?
The dunk contest that most sports fans have been waiting for won't take place until Feb. 15 with the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. But there's another annual dunk contest that shouldn't be slept on: the one put on by the Nebraska football team.
This year, the Cornhuskers held their dunk contest at halftime of their showdown with No. 19 Illinois. And just like what often happens in the NBA's version, an unexpected star emerged:
Last year's winner, Jeremiah Charles, put up a valiant fight to defend his crown with an impressive one-handed reverse. Despite his efforts, and the jams from Emmett Johnson, Connor Schutt, Quinn Clark and Dasan McCullough, it was quarterback-turned-tight end Heinrich Haarberg who came away as the champ.
The junior wowed the crowd when he threw the ball off the backboard and slammed it home for the thunderous dunk.
Dylan Raiola, the guy Haarberg used to back up, was also there, coming off a promising freshman season for the 7-6 Huskers. He rocked a special jersey, showing his support for Nebraska alum Keisei Tominaga, who was recently invited to participate in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend. But Raiola (perhaps wisely, since he's the starting quarterback) remained a spectator to the festivities:
The basketball game between the Cornbuskers and Illini had its share of dunks too, but Haarberg's is the one that fans will be talking about the most.
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