Dunk groups and dunk clubs are exploding right now, and in this episode I (Dylan Haugen) brought on Justin Blanchard alongside my co-host Hunter Castona to talk about how this movement got started and where it’s headed. Justin is the founder of the WSU Dunk Club at Winona State University — the most followed dunk group on social media — and his story of building a community around dunking at a college level is something every dunker should hear.
Justin Blanchard’s Dunk Journey
Justin is a 6’2″ dunker from Minnesota who goes to Winona State University. He’s a left-handed, left-foot plant jumper, which gives him a unique approach style. Growing up, Justin was playing basketball at a local community center after school, shooting around and trying to dunk in between pickup games. As he got older, he started going to an outdoor court near his house — right next to a cemetery, which he laughed about as a pretty weird spot for a basketball court — and would just spend hours out there entertaining himself by trying different dunks without any real plan.
Early on, Justin was really inspired by watching Dunkademics, and he mentioned Jay Clark, Chris Staples, and some of the older dunkers like Young Hollywood as guys who caught his attention. He gravitated toward off-the-backboard dunks because lobbing the ball allowed him to use his full arm swing and get maximum elevation. Being left-handed with a left-foot plant, that lob setup is just perfect for his approach. Over time he branched out into windmills and 360s, but he admitted he was super uncoordinated at the spinning at first and would get lost in the sauce midair. Power dunking — jumping as high as he could and slamming it as hard as possible — was always his foundation. I dunk with Justin sometimes since Winona is only about 45 minutes from where I live, and seeing his explosiveness in person is always impressive.
How the WSU Dunk Club Started
The WSU Dunk Club came from Justin’s desire to build a dunking community at his university. He saw an opportunity to bring dunkers together in a structured way, and the club took off from there. I actually went out and dunked with their club in Winona and it was super cool — there’s something different about sessioning with a group versus just going by yourself. What makes the WSU Dunk Club unique is how diverse the group is. They have dunkers at all different skill levels, from beginners who are working on their first dunk to guys throwing down advanced trick dunks. Justin believes that diversity is actually what made them blow up on social media, because it gives the content real character and people at every level can relate to at least one person in the group.
They’re currently the most followed dunk group online, partly because Justin is consistent about posting content, but also because the variety of members and personalities keeps things fresh. Some notable members Justin brought up include Will Swiggum, who makes 360 Eastbays and underboths look effortless, and Gideon’s cousin Sage, who Justin described as an absolute monster. The group keeps growing, and each new member brings something different to the table.
Hunter’s Wisconsin Dunk Group
Hunter also shared how he started his own dunk group in Wisconsin. The catalyst was Dunk Camp in Utah, where he met fellow Wisconsin dunkers he had no idea existed — including a guy named JJ who literally lived 10 minutes from his house. That realization that there were dunkers right in his backyard who he’d never connected with inspired Hunter to create a group so they could all find each other and session together. It’s a perfect example of how Dunk Camp creates ripple effects that extend way beyond the event itself. These connections that get made at camp turn into local communities that keep people engaged and pushing each other all year round.
The Explosion of Dunk Groups Worldwide
The bigger conversation here is about how dunk groups are popping up everywhere — not just in the U.S., but around the world. What started as a few guys getting together to dunk at local gyms has turned into organized clubs with social media followings, regular sessions, and real community structures. The dunk community has always been tight-knit, but these groups are making it more accessible than ever for new dunkers to find their people and get better together. Events like Dunk Camp and the visibility that groups like WSU Dunk Club bring to social media are fueling this growth. Justin made the point that having a group creates accountability too — you’re more likely to show up and push yourself when other people are counting on you being there.
Training Tips: Weighted Ball Work
We also got into some training talk, specifically around using a weighted basketball for technique work. Justin mentioned how Jordan Kilganon talked about this at Dunk Camp, emphasizing the importance of keeping your hand under the ball rather than on the side. Isaiah Rivera gave similar advice back at the 2022 camp. The weighted ball forces you to develop proper hand placement because if your hand isn’t underneath, you’ll lose the ball immediately. It’s one of those simple tools that can make a big difference if you use it consistently — something all three of us admitted we need to do more of.
Watch the full conversation with Justin Blanchard above. Follow him on Instagram @jusbla02 and check out the WSU Dunk Club. Subscribe to the Dunk Talk Podcast on YouTube and follow Hunter at @hunter.dunks for more dunk content.