Hornets’ guard Devonté Graham wins Rock Chalk Roundball Classic three-point contest
Devonté Graham, who emerged as a high-scoring starter in his second season with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, defeated nine of the best long-distance shooters in Kansas basketball history to win the 2020 Rock Chalk Roundball Classic three-point shooting contest aired Friday night on various TV outlets.
The 25-year-old Graham — who averaged 18.2 points a game this past NBA season — cashed 27 threes in 35 attempts to edge second-year Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk, as well as Tyrel Reed and Billy Thomas, who each hit 26 threes in 35 tries.
Kirk Hinrich and Brandon Rush, the other two former Jayhawks to reach the finals, hit 25 and 24 threes respectively.
Players who did not reach the finals were Mario Chalmers, who hit 16 of 25 threes; Sherron Collins and Jeff Boschee, who made 15 of 25 and Terry Brown, who made 12.
Mykhailiuk led after the first round with 20 of 25 threes made. Reed, Thomas and Graham hit 18 of 25 in the first round, while Rush and Hinrich made 17.
“Hopefully I’ll get the win. I’ve got to get the win. I came for the championship,” Graham said with a smile during the hour-long TV telecast.
The three-point contest was taped in various gyms throughout the country the past several weeks, players shooting threes and sending tape to contest organizer Brian Hanni, radio play-by-play voice of KU basketball and football. Graham’s threes were attempted at Free State High School during a recent visit to Lawrence.
Unable to hold his 12th-annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic exhibition game involving former KU basketball players and celebrities this summer because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Hanni came up with the idea of a three-point contest involving the top 10 trey shooters in KU history to keep the event alive. Frank Mason of the Milwaukee Bucks was unable to compete, asking Reed to fill in.
All proceeds from the event go to three families battling cancer. Hanni is hoping to bring back an exhibition game format to the fundraiser next summer.
Former KU combo guard Boschee — his 338 threes in four seasons eclipse the 296 converted by point guard Graham in four seasons — attempted a school-record 843 threes from 1999 to 2002. Graham attempted 723 threes from 2015-18, second-most in KU annals.
Boschee and Graham are first and second in threes made at KU, followed by Thomas (269), Mykhailiuk (237), Hinrich (236), Collins (232), Rush (205), Brown (200), Mason (185) and Chalmers (180). Adonis Jordan is 11th (179) and Reed 12th (176).
Fans interested in donating to the cause can visit the Website RockChalkRoundballClassic.com.
