Imagine Bobby Catchings pulling a Nate Robinson and dunking over Mike Robinson.

It’s probably not impossible for Catchings to complete the feat, but the fact is that there is no stage for Catchings to do it on.

I am making my pitch now, with hopes that members of the Ohio Valley Conference are listening.

There needs to be an OVC year-end dunk contest.

If you take a look at the NBA’s All-Star weekend, the most exciting part of the whole three-day event was the slam-dunk competition.

Not only did people see the 5-8 Nate Robinson dunk over Spud Webb, but they also saw a jaw-dropping dunk from the back of the backboard by Andre Iguodala.

The OVC needs this kind of excitement.

With only one team making the NCAA Tournament, the OVC becomes boring and dull once your team has been eliminated from postseason contention (see this year’s Eastern squad).

The one way to spice it up is to create a dunk contest and rotate from school-to-school each year.

The best way to do this is qualifying among each team. The Panthers’ best dunkers would most likely be Catchings and George Tandy.

Whoever advances in the “dunk-off” between the two would then advance each round.

When the final four are determined, then fans will know who the best player above the rim is.

The four likely finalists would be Catchings, Tennessee-Martin’s Jared Newson, Murray State’s Shawn Witherspoon and Tennessee Tech’s Milone Clark.

Each has had breathtaking dunks this season, and would no doubt provide the sizzle that the OVC is lacking.

It would definitely draw large crowds, with mostly students in attendance – something that is lacking in the OVC.

There probably is no possible argument from the OVC as to why you wouldn’t have something like this. The only argument might be from the coaches who might fear that their star players might get hurt in a meaningless competition.

The best possible way to get this started is for the OVC coaches and/or players to take action and tell OVC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher that they want to participate in this event.

There is probably no more exciting play in basketball than a dunk, especially one rich in style, athleticism and creativity.

It can get the crowds going and create a fever pitch in arenas across the country.

It would also let the fans know who the best dunker is in the conference. Some players don’t like the stigma of being “only a dunker,” as they feel it ruins their reputation as a player that can only dunk and do nothing else.

However, with most of the athletes in the OVC having little chance of making it to the NBA, this would be their chance to shine.

So, the next time you see Brent Barry taking off from the free throw line, think of Eastern’s Jake Sinclair.

Well, maybe not.

Marc Correnti is a junior journalism major. If you would like to see someone dunk over him, tell him so at EIU3583@yahoo.com