Grabbing the ball just before halfcourt, Christian Shumate began to race toward the basket in front of the student section in the Legacy Center.

A Lamar defender cut in front as he reached the free-throw line, blocking his path to the bucket.

Using one giant Euro step to the left, Shumate freed up space and lifted himself toward the basket, finishing with a thunderous, crowd-pleasing dunk in front of his fellow students.

It was the final and most exciting of five dunks last Monday night for Shumate. Those fan-favorite rim rattlers have been dubbed “Shuslams” and they are getting noticed.

Twice already this season Shumate’s made the Top 10 daily highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter with more likely to come.

Those plays are the calling card for McNeese State’s athletic junior forward who links the basketball program’s troubled past and glorious present.

“They are fun,” Shumate said of his dunks. “I’m proud to be a fan favorite, to be able to get them going. We have a great crowd and it is exciting when they get loud.”

The Cowboy faithful have had lots to scream about this year under Will Wade. The Pokes are 15-2 and undefeated at home, leading to record crowds and national interest.

And the 6-foot-6 Shumate is the guy who brings the energy on a nightly basis, just like he did last year despite the team losing a record 23 games. Now he is the only returning Cowboy from that club who sees any real playing time.

“This is a lot more fun, winning is fun,” said Shumate. “But there are lessons in each situation. You learn from both winning and losing.”

Shumate’s coming out party was last season during the Southland Conference Tournament, when set the record for rebounds in the tourney and averaged 26.5 points and 13.7 boards over three games.

Last season he led McNeese in scoring (15.1) and rebounding (9.7) while earning second-team All-Southland honors. This year Shumate is averaging 12.3 points and a league-leading 9.8 boards an outing.

Most of Shumate’s scoring comes off the game’s flow, not set plays.

“Christian is the one who goes and makes his own plays,” said Wade. “He is a very, very good player who makes things happen. He goes to the rim like nobody else.”

However, Shumate’s return to McNeese this season was far from guaranteed. The Chicago native started his college career at Tulsa before moving to McNeese for the last two seasons.

When last year ended he put his name in the transfer portal and looked elsewhere. After sniffing around he decided to return and hasn’t regretted a minute.

“The last two years wasn’t what I wanted them to be,” said Shumate. “But I saw what it could be. I walked to Coach Wade, heard his plans and I liked everything I heard.”

Thus, the Shuslam was born.

The best are the ones who come from others, namely, lob passes from Shahada Wells. The two have quickly formed a bond on fast breaks that get everybody going.

“It is great to see him with those dunks,” said Wells. “I just catch his eye and throw it up there. He does the rest.”

For Shumate, the lob is where he can become his creative best.

“I tell them to throw it up by the rim and I’ll go get it,” Shumate said. “I tell them to throw bad passes sometimes because I like to show what I can do with them.”

Most important to Shumate is flipping the script from the last two years and getting back at teams that beat the Cowboys.

“Teams that got my card, I want to even things out,” Shumate said.

A lot has changed in a year for Shumate, who has taken on the role of team leader and become more vocal and confident. His game has developed as well, making him more than just a dunking machine.

Over his career, he has 27 double-doubles, four off the school record.

The numbers prove Shumate might be a fan favorite but he is also a basketball player whose game is growing with each Euro step he takes.