Bradley senior guard Walt Lemon, Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Julian H.S.) has proven to both a high-flying star on the court and an accomplished student in the classroom throughout his collegiate career. Both attributes were recognized Monday when Lemon was announced as one of eight participants for Thursday night's Denny's College Slam Dunk Championship in Dallas, as well as one of 10 honorees on the 2014 Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team.
The 26th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday night at SMU's Moody Coliseum. The 2-hour event will feature 24 of the nation's top dunkers and long-range shooters and will air live on ESPN. Lemon becomes the third Bradley participant in the Denny's Slam Dunk Championship, following Lawrence Wright in 2006 and Chris Roberts in 2010. Roberts advanced to the finals of the 2010 event.
The Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Lemon also becomes the third Bradley men's basketball player to earn a spot on the 10-person Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team. Majoring in psychology, Lemon boasts a 3.38 cumulative grade point average and is three-time, first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete. He follows Sam Maniscalco (2010) and Dodie Dunson (2011) as Bradley men's basketball players to earn recognition on the Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team, which recognizes the top men's and women's basketball scholars from the 99 NCAA Division I institutions that do not sponsor football.
Lemon completed his Bradley playing career earlier this month as the seventh-leading scorer in program history and his 1,721 career points were the most by a Brave since all-time Missouri Valley Conference scoring leader Hersey Hawkins (3,008) graduated in 1988. One of the top all-around players in Bradley history, Lemon joins Hawkins as the only players to rank among the school's top 10 in scoring, assists (10th, 367) and steals (third, 222).
Tickets for the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships are $15 for general admission seating and $29 for reserved seating and may be purchased in advance through TicketMaster online or by calling 800-745-3000. Discounted tickets, $9, also are available for groups of at least 20.
