Off the top of my head, (which is about the worst metric of all-time to gauge something) I would venture to say this ranks pretty high in the forceful dunk category.

However, this logic gets me on a slippery slope. What one sees is not always what is to be believed.The reason that dunk looks forceful is because Shaq ripped the entire backboard down. But maybe that hoop was malfunctioning, and a smaller player could have done the same thing. Maybe that was a forceful dunk, but it doesn’t rank in the top 100 all-time. These are things we really have no way of gauging. Until now.

A Clemson University civil engineering professor and his students have created a device that measures the impact of dunks, and they’ve been using it at Clemson games this year. Here’s a video about it. (Don’t forget to title your Web pages, guys!)

And here’s a quote from the professor:

“Fans not only love seeing a dunk, they love knowing how much energy goes into a dunk. It’s the same entertainment value of measuring the speed of a baseball pitch,” said Schiff. “If this project is successful it could be the first of many systems installed in gyms across the country.”

While Schiff seems rather enthusiastic about his product — as he should be — it’s a bit of a leap to say fans want to know how much energy is going into a dunk. I’ve watched a good amount of basketball in my day, and I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to know how many g’s a dude just threw down at. I’m betting I’m not alone here. Has anyone ever thought this?

Anyway, it’s still a pretty cool concept. I look forward to the day when Schiff’s dream is realized and kids across the country are slamming on hoops to see who can dunk the hardest instead of shooting free throws or working on their defensive stances

Should be fun.

Via The Dagger.