At age 13, Jameel Pugh underwent a life-changing accident.

During a game, Pugh leaped for an offensive rebound, caught the ball above the rim and accidentally dunked it back.

It was the first dunk in a career of highlight slams for the Sacramento State senior who was once tabbed as “The World’s Greatest Dunker” in 1999 by SLAM magazine. The magazine also named Pugh the No. 33 dunker of all-time.

Pugh will defend his “greatest dunker” identity at the 2005 NCAA Dunk Contest on Thursday at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The all-senior dunk contest, which will feature dunkers such as Joey Graham of Oklahoma State and Ed McCants of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will bring national recognition to Sac State. Andre Emmett, from Texas Tech, won the event last season.

Pugh has won many dunk contests in the past — winning a world dunk contest in France while traveling with his Amateur Athletic Union summer league and six different Hoop It Up dunk contests, including one in Sacramento in which he beat NBA rookie Matt Barnes. Pugh also won both midnight madness dunk contests as a freshman and sophomore during his years at the University of Massachusetts.

However, for Pugh, the spotlight has never been greater.”This is the biggest dunk contest of my life,” Pugh said. “This is for all the marbles — big stage, bright lights.”

A dunk contest Pugh watched in elementary school may have had the biggest influence though.

“I initially didn’t even like basketball,” Pugh said. “But watching a Dominique Wilkins two-hand windmill got me interested. I started working on jumping and it grew from there.”

By the time Pugh was in middle school he was already seeking a coach. His friend Shawndi Goings, who was about three years older than Pugh and the “neighborhood dunker,” played the part and worked with the sixth-grade Pugh on developing his leaping ability.

“He had me doing toe reaches with a heavy backpack on,” Pugh said. “Every week he would give me plyometrics routines to work on.”

Pugh then began weight training with his physical education teacher and even wore strength-training shoes to help raise his vertical leap in the eighth grade.

“I didn’t have the booklet and didn’t know what to do with (the shoes) so I just wore them to school everyday for a month straight,” Pugh said. “I heard cynical comments from students and even my eighth grade English teacher, Ms. Schultz.

“She said, ‘J.P. what are you doing walking around in those moon shoes?’ I told her they were going to make me the best dunker ever.”

Back at the neighborhood park, Pugh was now ready to challenge his mentor. He told Goings that he was going to dunk over him in a game. Goings was initially skeptical, but when Pugh acted on his words, it sent Goings running home.

“He went home and brought back a trophy,” Pugh said. “He said, ‘You are now king of the dunk.'”

By the time he was a freshman in high school, Pugh was already doing windmill and 360 degree dunks. In his senior season at Sac State, he stuck his elbow in the rim at the end of a conference home game versus Eastern Washington.

Pugh hasn’t been able to practice any new dunks since the end of the season because of back spasms and a lower abdominal strain. Monday was the first day he played basketball since the Hornets’ Big Sky Tournament loss to Weber State.

“I haven’t practiced one dunk yet,” Pugh said on Monday. “I was unable to make basketball movements. It was painful to walk and I had to stand up in my classes because there was too much pressure in my lower back.”

Pugh said since working with physical therapist, Greg Parry, his back has improved dramatically and it shouldn’t be a concern for the contest.

“He has helped me a lot,” Pugh said. “He got me from taking six-inch steps to a normal walking pattern.”

Just in case, Pugh said he has two different sets of dunk ideas. “I have a list of eight dunks,” Pugh said. “One if my back is hurting and one if it’s not hurting. Both lists are exciting.”

Bob Behler, who watched Pugh as the radio voice of Massachusetts basketball, is confident in Pugh’s ability to win the competition.

“He is a performer,” Behler said. “He is really good for these kinds of contests, because he has a great personality. He smiles a lot, makes eye contact with people there; that’s how you win these things.”

Pugh said the most important part of the competition is playing off of what the crowd likes. “The emotion and enthusiasm you bring to each dunk is what electrifies the crowd,” Pugh said. “I definitely have some ideas and got some (dunks) I’ve tried before.

“I’m just going to go out there and compete and leave it in God’s hands.”

Who: Jameel Pugh, Sacramento State senior guard

What: 2005 NCAA Slam Dunk Competition

Where: St. Louis

When: Thursday 6 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

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Jimmy Spencer can be reached at [email protected]