DUNK CITY, Fla. – Dunk City's dunk leader Demetris Morant is one of 16 finalists for the 2017 Dark Horse Dunker competition as the FGCU men's basketball uber-athletic forward is in the running to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk Championship Final Four weekend in Phoenix.
 
The competition will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 1 p.m. Eastern with 1st-round voting. Fans will determine the winner by voting daily at DarkHorseDunker.com throughout the four-week competition.
 
The Dark Horse Dunker is a digital-media contest that will match up 16 of the top college dunkers in a bracket-style competition to determine the final participant in the Slam Dunk Championship. Fans can vote for Morant using an interactive bracket by visiting DarkHorseDunker.com. The player with the most votes in each matchup will move on to the next round.
 
Fans can vote once per day on multiple devices (example: computer and phone = 2 votes). In the 1st round, Morant is matched up with the University of Tampa's Austin Rettig. Voting for the 1st round concludes on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. Eastern.
 
The schedule for each voting round will go as follows:
 
• 1st Round: Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. ET through Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET (16 Players)
• Quarterfinals: Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. ET through March 1 at 1 p.m. ET (8 Players)
• Semifinals: March 2 at 1 p.m. ET through March 9 at 1 p.m. ET (4 Players)
• Finals: March 10 at 1 p.m. ET through March 17 at 1 p.m. ET (2 Players)
• Winner Announcement: March 17 at 1 p.m. ET
 
The player that ultimately receives the most votes in the final round will be selected to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, an event featuring some of the best college dunkers and three-point shooters in the country, held annually in the Final Four host city. The contest will air live on ESPN during Final Four weekend in Phoenix at 10 p.m. Eastern on Mar. 30.
 
Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) has an incredible 76 dunks on the year – unofficially the 2nd-most in the nation behind UCF's Taco Fall (79). Last year as a team, the Eagles had 78 dunks. After transferring to FGCU from UNLV following his redshirt freshman season, Morant has 143 dunks with the high-flying Eagles.
 
The 16 Dark Horse Dunkers – all seniors – participating in the contest were selected by a committee representing the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships. A complete bracket with matchup details can be found on DarkHorseDunker.com. The following are the 16 Dark Horse Dunkers competing in the contest for their chance to showcase their talents in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships:
 
Damarcus Croaker – Murray State
Chris Davenport – North Florida
Antonius Cleveland – Southeast Missouri State
Nick Stover – South Alabama
Denzel Gregg – St. Bonaventure
Matt Bonds – Saint Michael's College
Xavier Smith – Oklahoma City University
Zeek Woodley – Northwestern State
Romond Jenkins –Tarleton State
Buay Tuach – Loyola Marymount
Demetris Morant – FGCU
Austin Rettig – Tampa
Khory Moore – Virginia Wesleyan
Brendyn Taylor – Northwestern Christian
Collin Stewart – Monmouth
Trayvon Palmer – Chicago State

SOCIAL CENTRAL
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COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his 4th season with the Eagles in 2016-17 and has coached eight all-conference selections over his first three campaigns. Dooley guided FGCU to a 4th-straight 20-win season and 4th-consecutive postseason appearance in 2015-16 as the Eagles claimed the ASUN Tournament Championship and won their First Four NCAA Tournament game in 31-point record-setting fashion. He led FGCU to its first ASUN Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to a berth in the CIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine-straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship. Dooley is in his 8th season overall as a head coach and has a record of 142-97 (.594), and in his 3+ years with FGCU is 85-45 (.654).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.