Perhaps you thought there was little reason to get your first taste of March Madness before the main course is served Thursday.
Think again. Tonight’s appetizer, the opening round “play-in” game in Dayton, Ohio, features Niagara guards Lorenzo Miles and Stanley Hodge, two Gonzaga High alumni who helped the Purple Eagles to 11 straight wins entering their showdown with Florida A&M for the right to play Kansas on Friday.
In a season that likely to see Suitland native Kevin Durant become the first freshman to earn national player of the year honors, local hooks to this year’s NCAA Tournament abound in every region. Here is a listing of tourney teams with area ties:
Maryland
» Locals: Gini Chukura (Good Counsel), 6-5, Sr.; James Gist (Good Counsel), 6-8, Jr.; Dave Neal (O’Connell), 6-7, Soph.; Eric Hayes (Potomac, Va.), 6-3, Fr.; Greivis Vasquez (Caracas, Venezuela/Montrose Christian), 6-5, Fr.
» The skinny: The Terps’ fire-and-ice backcourt of Vasquez and Hayes has availed itself well, but will they have enough poise for a deep tournament run?
Georgetown
» Locals: Jeff Green (Northwestern), 6-9, Jr.; Roy Hibbert (Georgetown Prep), 7-2, Jr.; Patrick Ewing (National Christian), 6-8, Jr.; Jessie Sapp (National Christian), 6-3, Soph.
» The skinny: Hibbert is the Hoyas’ biggest player, but Green will be the biggest reason Georgetown makes it to the Final Four.
Villanova
» Locals: Ross Condon (Potomac School), 5-11, Sr.; Dante Cunningham (Potomac, Md.), 6-9, Soph.; Dwayne Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. Thomas More, Conn.), 6-5, Soph.; Scottie Reynolds (Herndon), 6-0, Fr.
» The skinny: Reynolds, the Big East rookie of the year, is the best freshman point guard in the country not playing with an NBA lottery-bound big man.
Virginia
» Locals: Tunji Soroye (Montrose Christian), 6-11, Jr.; Mamadi Diane (DeMatha), 6-5, Soph.; Andy Burns (Ireton), 6-8, Fr.
» The skinny: Diane’s streaky scoring from the wing — he’s averaged only 6.4 points in the Cavaliers’ losses — is the best supplement to Virginia’s dynamic backcourt.
George Washington
» Locals: Dokun Akingbade (Bladensburg), 6-9, Sr.; Rob Diggs (Gwynn Park), 6-8, Soph.
» The skinny: The Colonials’ only true big men are underrated but improving — they’re presence in the paint is key for an upset run.
Virginia Tech
» Locals: Deron Washington (New Orleans/National Christian), 6-7, Jr.; Nigel Munson (DeMatha), 6-0, Fr.
» The skinny: Washington’s high-flying dunks have made him the Hokies’ human highlight reel all season while Munson provides steady relief at point guard.
North Carolina
» Locals: Marcus Ginyard (O’Connell), 6-5, Soph.; Tywon Lawson (Clinton/Oak Hill), 5-11, Fr.
» The skinny: Lawson is the orchestrator of the Tarheels secondary break; Ginyard frustrates opponents with his superglue defense.
Penn
» Locals: Steve Danley (DeMatha), 6-8, Sr.; Cameron Lewis (Washington, D.C./Exeter, N.H.), 6-8, Soph.
» The skinny: Danley (9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) is one of three senior starters for a team that won 10 straight to help earn a third-straight trip to the Big Dance.
Arkansas
» Locals: Darian Townes (Carroll), 6-10, Jr.
» The skinny: A solid reserve big man who can block shots, Townes and the Razorbacks squeaked into the NCAAs after a good showing at the SEC Tournament.
Central Connecticut State
» Locals: Jeremy Myers (Bullis), 6-1, Fr.
» The skinny: Myers has been used sparingly, playing more than 10 minutes just twice as the Blue Devils have won 17 of their last 18.
Kentucky
» Locals: Sheray Thomas (Riverdale Baptist), 6-8, Sr.
» The skinny: Thomas played a season-high 29 minutes but was a SportsCenter regular after his costly lane violation with 5.1 seconds remaining in the SEC quarterfinals.
Memphis
» Locals: Kareem Cooper (Wheaton/Laurinburg, N.C.), 6-11, Soph.
» The skinny: Cooper joined the team late (suspension), scored in double-figures in three of his first five games butplayed a season-low two minutes in the Conference USA championship.
Pittsburgh
» Locals: Sam Young (Clinton/Hargrave), 6-6, Fr.
» The skinny: A sixth-man who has both strength and scoring ability, Young (6.8 ppg) has seen his minutes increase as the season has progressed.
Stanford
» Locals: Peter Prowitt (Potomac School), 6-10, Jr.
» The skinny: Averaged 13 minutes per game last year, but Prowitt plays purely backup to twin towers Robin and Brook Lopez.
Texas
» Locals: Kevin Durant (Montrose Christian), 6-10, Fr.
» The skinny: Texas is a No. 4 seed, but Durant’s overwhelming stats (25.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg) could skew plenty of brackets in favor of the Longhorns.
Virginia Commonwealth
» Locals: James Eversley (Centreville/Hargrave), 6-6, Fr.
» The skinny: The lesser used of two freshmen for a team that could be this year’s George Mason.
Washington State
» Locals: Chris Matthews (Washington, D.C./Lutheran Christian (Pa.), 6-4, Soph.
» The skinny: Matthews is a 3-point specialist, but he hasn’t been used in the Cougars’ last seven games.
