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Devonté Graham wins the Rock Chalk three-point race

Charlotte Hornets guard Devonte 'Graham (4) throws a shot over Mason Plumlee (7) ahead of Denver Nuggets in the first half at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, Thursday, March 5, 2020 Denver led, 60-51, to the interval .

Charlotte Hornets guard Devonte ‘Graham (4) throws a shot over Mason Plumlee (7) ahead of Denver Nuggets in the first half at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, Thursday, March 5, 2020 Denver led, 60-51, to the interval .

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Devonté Graham, who scored strong in his second season with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, defeated nine of the best long-range shooters in Kansas basketball history to win the 2020 Rock Chalk Roundball Classic three-point shooting match. aired Friday evening on various TV outlets.

25-year-old Graham – who averaged 18.2 points per game last NBA season – cashed in 27 3-pointers in 35 attempts to beat second-year Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk, as well as Tyrel Reed and Billy Thomas, who they scored 26 triples each in 35 attempts.

Kirk Hinrich and Brandon Rush, the other two former Jayhawks who reached the final, scored 25 and 24 threes respectively.

The players who didn’t make it to the final were Mario Chalmers, who scored 16 of 25 threes; Sherron Collins and Jeff Boschee, who made 15 out of 25 and Terry Brown, who made 12.

Mykhailiuk led after the first round with 20 of 25 threes made. Reed, Thomas and Graham scored 18 of 25 in the first round, while Rush and Hinrich scored 17.

“I hope to get the win. I have to get the victory. I came for the championship, ”Graham said with a smile during the one-hour telecast.

The three-point match has been recorded at various gyms across the country over the past few weeks, players have shot three and sent tape to competition organizer Brian Hanni, play-by-play radio voice of basketball and football KU. Graham’s three were tempted 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 basketball players and KU celebrities this summer due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Hanni came up with the idea of ​​a three-point contest involving the 10 best trey shooters in KU history to keep the event alive. Milwaukee Bucks’ Frank Mason was unable to compete, asking Reed to replace him.

All proceeds from the event go to three families battling cancer. Hanni hopes to bring an exhibition game format back to fundraising next summer.

Former combo guard KU Boschee – his 338 threes in four seasons eclipse the 296 converted by point guard Graham in four seasons – attempted a school record of 843 threes from 1999 to 2002. Graham attempted 723 threes from 2015-18, second in KU annals.

Boschee and Graham are first and second in three 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 RockChalkRoundballClassic.com website.

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Gary Bedore covers all aspects of Kansas basketball for The Star: the current team, former players, coaches, and recruiting. He attended KU and was born and raised in Chicago, as well as Lisle, Illinois.

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