Basketball highflyers and sharpshooters can show off their “mad hops” and range at Penn Rec’s Second Annual Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Shootout. The competition, scheduled for the evening of Thursday, March 22, at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center gymnasium, is open to all students, faculty, and staff.

Brian Calio, assistant director of structured sport at Penn Rec and the event’s organizer, says he launched the dunk contest and shootout last year to offer members of the Penn community something fun, different, and exciting.

“As a former basketball player, it’s kind of near and dear to me,” he says.

The Slam Dunk Contest takes flight at 8:30 p.m., following the intramural City Six play-in game. Contestants will be judged on difficulty and creativity.

Calio says the five judges will include basketball coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and intramural referees, who will use scorecards to assess each dunk. Extra scorecards will be handed out to fans.

Last year’s event, held at The Palestra, included an appearance by the Quaker mascot and a performance by the Quaker Girls Dance Team. “The first-place dunker ended up jumping over three girls on the Quaker Girls Dance Team to end up winning (the contest),” Calio says. “It was a good time.” The Quaker mascot and Quaker Girls Dance Team will perform at this year’s competition, too. “We might even have one of the Quaker Girls judge,” Calio adds.

The 3-Point Shootout, which will follow the dunk contest, will feature a men’s and women’s challenge. Each contestant will shoot from five stations, with five basketballs at each station. Each ball is worth one point, except for the last ball, the “moneyball,” a tri-colored Penn Red, Penn Blue, and white ball that is worth two points.

“Last year was pretty fun,” Calio says. “We had about 16 people participate, so hopefully we’ll have about the same number this year.”

Contestants must register by Wednesday, March 21, at the Penn intramural website, or by emailing Calio at caliob@upenn.edu. Registration and admission to the contest is free. The winners will receive Penn goodies, such as Penn Rec towels, Penn Athletics gear, basketballs, and T-shirts.