Reintroduction

Friends, I'm admitting to an addicition the last couple of weeks. It's the finest point of hoop season around the continent and, while I watch as many conference tournaments in anticipation of The Big One, I'm getting my fix on the Internet as well.

This addiction knows no bounds. In fact, as I type this, I'm listening to the audio archive of the Montana-Eastern Washington Big Sky Conference semifinal from Tuesday night.

Eastern, if you didn't know, holds a small piece of the family of Canadian basketball. Like the Sutters or the Staals of hockey, the Bekkering family has produced an inordinate amount of talented basketball players. Anna and Cory both played five years with the University of Calgary women's team, their brother Ross just completed his first year with U of C's men's team, youngest sibling Janelle is one of the best high school girls players in western Canada and cousin Matt just wrapped up his fourth year with the Lethbridge Pronghorns.

And then there's Henry, the 6-foot-7 sophomore with the Eagles who turned the Canadian basketball community on its ear with his remarkable showing at the 2003 SuperPages II All-Canadian High School Basketball Game. Bekkering made his name in Alberta basketball circles well before his senior year at Taber's W.R. Myers, but the appearance at the all-Canadian game cemented him as — rightly or wrongly — one of the most exciting Canadian players to keep your eye on.

Without further adieu, watch Bekkering's dunk contest footage from that 2003 game at Capilano College. That clip made him an Internet underground legend and earned him an appearance on The Best Damn Sports Show and a small blurb in the online encyclopdia, Wikipedia.

From Wikipedia:
This Canadian dunk contest was made famous on the internet by the amazing dunks of 6'5" Henry Bekkering which included a windmill slam over a standing person and a left handed freethrow line dunk jumping off 2 feet. Video of the contest dissemnated quickly across the internet and it's fame led to a television appearance for Bekkering on the "Best Damn Sports Show"

Ed. note: A blurry, pudgy figure in the background near the end of the clip is yours truly.

When you're done all that, though, get your eyes focused on a guy who will actually be playing in this year's NCAA tournament: Champlain St. Lambert graduate Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, a 6-foot guard whose got more game than letters in his name. He will play start and play significant minutes for a very highly-touted Gonzaga Bulldogs team.