Mehki Williams
Sports Editor
It’s a special privilege to be able to compete with some of the premier dunkers on the NCAA Division I level. Graduate ESU basketball star Carlos Pepin had the honor to represent ESU at the 2023 King’s Hawaiian College Slam Dunk Contest in Houston on March 30, 2023.
Pepin received the most votes on social media for the 2023 State Farm Dark Horse Dunker Fan Vote in each of the four rounds. Fans could vote for Pepin in each matchup between college basketball players across the country on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
The final spot for the King’s Hawaiian College Slam Dunk Championship came down to the wire as he battled Marvin Agwomoh from Benedictine. Despite a narrow margin of 50.4% to 49.6%, Pepin won the Dark Horse Fan Vote.
Out of 16 nominated Dark Horse Dunkers from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and JUCO, Pepin won the fan vote with the help of the entire ESU Warriors fan base.
“When I found out I won the Slam Dunk Horse Dunker Fan Vote, I was excited and honored,” Pepin said. “Throughout the whole process, I was unsure if I would make it to the next round because the voting numbers were very close each round”.
Carlos Pepin received votes from family, friends and even people from his hometown of Lodi, New Jersey. “From ESU all the way to Lodi, New Jersey, people were posting all over social media and voting for me. I wouldn’t have won without the love and support from everyone,” Pepin said about the support from everyone.
In his opening dunk at the King’s Hawaiian Dunk Contest, Pepin registered a score of 38. Walt Frazier, a legendary NBA player and commentator, would put it this way: “Rising Majestically” on a forceful windmill jam to mark his first competition dunk.
The top four scorers advanced to the next round. Pepin’s score of 38 wasn’t enough to advance to the semifinals. He would finish in fifth place in the competition against some of NCAA basketball’s high-flyers.
“Being selected and going to Houston to compete in the first dunk contest was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not many people can say they were selected as the dark horse in the Slam Dunk Competition,” Pepin shared.
Representing ESU at the 2023 King’s Hawaiian College Slam Dunk Contest only added to the remarkable 2022–23 season Carlos Pepin had. Last season, he was an All-PSAC East and NABC All-Region First Team selection. His impact on the floor led him to be selected for the Reese’s Division II College All-Star Game.
Although the former ESU basketball star now plays for BC Beroe Stara Zagora of the Bulgarian National Basketball League, his legacy is cemented in Warriors history. When asked about representing ESU in the Slam Dunk Competition in Houston, Pepin replied, “Representing ESU at the Slam Dunk Competition meant everything. ESU is a place I have called home for the past five years”.
The experience of competing on the brightest stage in front of the entire country against some of basketball’s top dunkers is something that Carlos Pepin will never forget. Support from ESU’s dedicated fanbase made this happen.
Email Mehki at:
mwillia118@live.esu.edu
