1996

The Miracle at Meadows

Winners: Brad Pierce, Jim Leonard, Greg Krause, & Corey Newton

There here have been only a handful of truly historical events in sports history. Babe Ruth calling his shot at Wrigley Field. The immaculate reception. Malo airballing a free throw in the "76 Pacific Shores Tournament. The 1996 Jim Cole Slamball Tournament clearly took its place among these milestone events.

As the sun set over the asphalt, cooling one of the hottest April days on record, weary competitors who had earlier been put out of the tournament, pulled their beach chairs in tight around center court.

The finals matched the heavily favored team of Sac-Man, Jimbo, UK, and Neutron Bomb against the undermanned foursome of Spunky, Duke, Hammerin' Hank and P-Man. Few of the fans present anticipated the classic battle about to unfold.

Sac-Man's team built an early and commanding lead, combining the inside force of Pierce and Krause, with Jimmy P's quickness and Nuetron's overall play. Relying on the always spunky play of Spunky, Hank's relentless board work, the ever-scrappy Duke, and an unprecedented number of missed three-point shots by U.K., the underdogs battled within a point of the lead.

It is at this point, however, that the astute slamball fan recognized a simple, yet crucial, fact: money was on the line. And while nobody covets the slamball crown as much as Spunky, nobody likes a little extra green as much as Sac-Man, U.K. and Jimbo.

With the next shot deciding the champion, but the momentum squarely with Spunky's squad, Sac-Man began taking the ball up court. Seemingly without reason, he picked up his dribble before reaching the half-court line. It is at this precise point in time that experts will be arguing until their last breath of life over what was running through Sac-Man's head.

One probably theory is that the only open man in his view was U.K. setting up for one of his three-point attempts. Rather than witness another air-ball and a chance for the money to go elsewhere, he took the game into his own hands.

While his teammates and the crowd stared in disbelief, the ball soared through the twilight sky, hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity, then landed softly in the center of the net.

Three points. The Slamball Championship. Gas Money for Sac-Man's Van.