ASU's Bowman Heading to Final Four

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State’s Tyrekus “AJ” Bowman is headed for his second national television appearance in less than a week.

The two-time All-American senior forward has been selected to compete in ESPN’s Slam Dunk Contest on Thursday, April 3 in San Antonio, Texas, site of this weekend’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. St. Mary’s University, just outside of downtown San Antonio, and Greehey Arena will serve as the host facility for the event.

The Slam Dunk Contest is part of the larger ESPN Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships. The nationally-televised event will be broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. EST and will air several additional times throughout the weekend.

This is the 20th annual showcasing of the nation’s top dunkers and long-range shooters. The event is always held in the Men’s Final Four host city. It will showcase eight of the top dunkers, eight of the top men’s shooters and eight of the top women’s shooters who have completed their senior seasons and exhausted their NCAA eligibility.

Past participants and champions that have gone on to play in the NBA include Gary Payton, Kendall Gill, Steve Nash, Nick Van Exel, Acie Law, Freddie Jones, Aaron Brooks, Jason Maxiell and Kyle Korver.

Bowman recently led the Jaguars to a 27-7 record and the NCAA National Championship game at the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass. A two-time Peach Belt Conference Player-of-the-Year, Bowman concluded his career with 1,827 points, the second-most in school history behind Derek Stewart (1,895) and the second-most in Peach Belt Conference history behind only Carlton Farr of Francis Marion (1,863 points from 1990-95).