Ask any Auburn basketball fan who Kenny Gabriel is, and they will likely reply with an answer referencing his slam dunk ability.
Gabriel will participate in the State Farm College Slam Dunk Championship Thursday night at Tulane University in New Orleans in hopes of representing the talent he displayed all season.
"I am excited and really honored to be in it," Gabriel said. "It's just an honor for me to do it. I'm excited that I get a chance to experience all this. I'm a blessed individual. I know there's a lot of people in college basketball that can really dunk, so I'm just honored to be one of those top guys."
Associate vice president for the event Drew Russell said Gabriel was a great fit for the type of athlete the event was looking for.
"We're looking for guys that can display the athleticism and do the things that people are accustomed to on the dunking side of the sport," Russell said. "We're going out and kind of scouting the country, and then we'll offer invites to those folks that will put on the best show for us.
"He's obviously a good player. Just type in Kenny Gabriel on YouTube and you get a plethora of videos that'll come up, and everybody can see for themselves that the guy has outstanding athleticism. He's known in a lot of circles--and most likely in the SEC--as one of the better athletes, and we really expect him to be one of the front-runners in this competition."
Earlier this season, Auburn coach Tony Barbee told al.com that Gabriel was a definite standout on the team all year.
"He's the stat-sheet stuffer for this team," Barbee said. "Those are hard to find in today's game."
Judges include current New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas, current Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, former Duke point guard and two-time national champion Bobby Hurley and former LSU defensive lineman and projected first-round draft pick Michael Brockers, as well as a fifth social media vote from the fans to determine the winner.
Russell said there will be eight dunkers in the first round with four being eliminated.
Those remaining will have two chances to flaunt their abilities and impress the crowd, and the winner will be determined in the final round.
"We've been hosting this event in the Final Four city since 1989," Russell said. "This is a long-standing tradition that we started, and at that point in time the love affair everybody had with the NBA dunk contest and superstars that were participating in that decided that there was an opportunity to host one on the college side, and it has grown and developed ever since."
The competition will be televised after the National Invitation Tournament championship game.
Russell said the participants are chosen because of their ability, but the selection is limited.
"We are limited to seniors or underclassman that have signed with an agent and declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft," Russell said.
With possibly his last collegiate event looming in the future, Gabriel said he has been preparing, but hasn't worried about it too much.
"I've been practicing a little bit, but some stuff I just might have to wing a little bit. I guess it depends on what the others do," Gabriel said. "(My family) keeps telling me to win. All my friends and my family back home are like, 'I'm not gonna watch it if you lose,' so I guess I have a little bit of pressure on me."
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