Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Former Lehigh men’s basketball great and current Portland Trail Blazers’ standout C.J. McCollum ’13 has been selected to compete in the 2016 Taco Bell® Skills Challenge as part of NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. All-Star Saturday Night is set for this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET with the Skills Challenge slated as the second event. McCollum is in the midst of a tremendous season, averaging 20.7 points per game which stands 17th in the NBA.
The Skills Challenge is set to begin at 8:30 p.m., live on TNT. The Taco Bell® Skills Challenge format calls for two players to compete simultaneously on an identical course with the fastest finisher reaching the next round. In the first round, the eight players are paired to participate in four head-to-head competitions. The four winners advance to the second round, where two more head-to-head showdowns determine the two finalists. The eight contestants will display speed, quickness, passing, ball handling and shooting. Patrick Beverley won the competition in 2015.
McCollum has been selected as one of eight participants in the skills challenge, along with:
Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves (Kentucky)
Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors (Michigan St.)
DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings (Kentucky)
Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans (Kentucky)
Isaiah Thomas – Boston Celtics (Washington)
Patrick Beverley – Houston Rockets (Arkansas)
Jordan Clarkson – Los Angeles Lakers (Tulsa)
A third-year guard for the Trail Blazers, McCollum graduated Lehigh in 2013 with a B.A. in Journalism. A four-year starter for the Mountain Hawks, McCollum was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year. McCollum is best known for his performance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament when he dropped 30 points, six assists and six rebounds in Lehigh’s upset of the No. 2 seeded Duke Blue Devils. McCollum stands as the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer with 2,361 career points.
Making his first appearance at All-Star Weekend, McCollum is making a push for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2016. After averaging 6.8 points per game in 2014-15, he currently owns the largest improvement in scoring in the NBA. He has reached double-figure points in all 52 games this season, 15 points in all but five games and 20 points in 25 contests. McCollum’s Trail Blazers currently stand in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 27-27 record.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the present-day Mountain Hawks return home to host Holy Cross next Monday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in a nationally-televised showdown on CBS Sports Network.
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