It was announced Thursday that senior guards Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes have been invited to take part in the 3-point contest for the State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships.
The event will take place at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas on March 31 and the pair will be joined by six other participants, including Louisville senior guard Damion Lee, who shot 34.1 percent from the perimeter this season. The other five contestants have not been announced yet.
Everyone has known about the incredible 3-point shooting of Forbes, but he elevated his shooting to a new level this season, finishing second in the regular season and shooting 48.1 percent. Forbes is ranked second in the Big Ten and 14th nationally with 3.2 made 3-pointers per game.
Valentine was a different story. After shooting just 28.1 percent from the 3-point line as a freshman, Valentine has steadily improved his perimeter shooting every year to shoot the prolific 44.4 percent he shot from behind the 3-point line as a senior.
Valentine finished first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made per game at 3.35, which is also good for eighth best nationally.
Valentine and Forbes each carved out a spot in MSU's record books during their senior season. Forbes' 112 3-point field goals are good for the third most in a single-season for an MSU player, while Valentine's 104 3-pointers gave him a fourth place ranking.
This is the 28th annual contest, which is always held during the week leading up to the Final Four. The event includes eight dunkers for the dunk contest along with eight male 3-point shooters and eight female 3-point shooters, with the winner of each group going head-to-head in the Battle of Champions.
The last MSU player to take part in the event was Adreian Payne, who competed in the dunk contest in 2014. Previous participants include Kirk Manns in 1990, Shawn Respert in 1995 and Drew Neitzel in 2008.
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