Asheville’s McCants ready to dunk on women

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

Here’s part of the story, from the Raleigh News & Observer:

Will women’s college basketball fans in the Triangle area witness a dunk this season?
Possibly.

On Thursday, in Duke’s exhibition win over Anderson University, senior forward Chante Black routinely followed a teammate’s missed jump shot by grabbing the rim with her left hand as she reached for the rebound with her right.

Black, a 6-foot-5 native of Winston Salem, clearly had the height on her jump, rising high enough to put her head above the rim. She, however, did not have the timing.

“I thought she made it,” Black said. “But I was just up there, so I was like ‘Hey, I’m just up here, let me try to put it back in.’ “

Black is not the only player contemplating a dunk this season.

North Carolina senior forward Rashanda McCants said her vertical leap has improved enough to give her a legitimate shot at dunking.

McCants, a 6-1 forward from Asheville, said she’s not sure if she’ll try to dunk in a game.

“No, I couldn’t do it,” she said. “We would have to be up on somebody by a lot of points for coach [Sylvia] Hatchell [not to get angry].”

Hatchell may not be as upset as McCants thinks, considering how much this preseason she’s talked about seven of her players having the ability to stand under the basket and jump straight up and grab the rim. She talked about this to underscore her team’s athletic ability.