AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s Hason Ward has been selected to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest at the annual State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships in Phoenix this week.

Grand Canyon University and Global Credit Union Arena will host the 35th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships on April 4 at 8 p.m. CT, tipping off college basketball’s most exciting weekend of the season. The event will air live on ESPN.

Ward just wrapped up his fifth year of college basketball, playing the final two in Ames. He tallied a team-leading 33 dunks this season and had 51 over his two years with the Cyclones. In 28 games this year, Ward averaged 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting.628 from the field. For his career, he scored 658 points, averaging 5.1 per game on .597 shooting. He blocked 162 shots and tallied 92 steals, while grabbing 479 rebounds.

The event returns to the home of the Havocs for the second time, having previously been contested there in 2017, the last time Phoenix hosted the men’s basketball national championship game. A sold-out crowd of more than 7,000 fans packed Global Credit Union Arena to take in college basketball’s highest flyers and dynamic scorers in a nationally televised showcase.

Ward is the first Cyclone to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. Previously, Donovan Jackson (2018), Nazareth Mitrou-Long (2017), Tyrus McGee (2013), Dedric Willoughby (1997) and Fred Hoiberg (1995) have participated in the 3-point contest at the event.

“We’re really looking forward to returning to Grand Canyon University for the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport. “The atmosphere at Global Credit Union Arena is off the charts and our experience there in 2017 set a new standard this event. The way the school and the Havocs embraced us the last time we were in Phoenix made us incredibly eager to return. We anticipate a highly engaged and animated crowd as we celebrate the beginning of college basketball’s national championship weekend.”

Twenty-four of the nation’s elite men’s and women’s college basketball players will compete for slam dunk and 3-point shooting bragging rights. The night features the King’s Hawaiian Slam Dunk Championship, the Hanes Men’s 3-Point Championship, the Hanes Women’s 3-Point Shooting Championship and the Team Shootout. The winners of the Hanes Men’s and Women’s 3-Point Championships will then compete in the Skechers Battle of the Champions.