Area natives playing in men’s, women’s tourneys
The fields of 68 have been set for both the men’s and women’s versions of the NCAA Tournament, and both will have faces familiar to local communities.
While more area players are taking part in the men’s tournament, the bigger names are on the women’s side, so we start our look with them:
Bree Hall, Wayne High School — South Carolina
A 6-foot sophomore guard, Hall averages 4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game for the loaded Gamecocks, who won it all last season and could do so again this year.
South Carolina begins its national title defense Saturday at home against No. 16 Norfolk State.
Maddy Westbeld, Fairmont High School — Notre Dame
A 6-3 junior forward, Ohio’s Ms. Basketball in 2020 has started all 30 games for the third-seeded Fighting Irish, who face No. 14 Southern Utah on Saturday in the first round. She is third on the team with 11.0 points per game. She is shooting 44.6% from the floor, snagging 6.5 rebounds per game and has pitched in 69 assists, 35 blocks and 38 steals.
Jordan Hobbs, Springboro High School — Michigan
A 6-3 sophomore guard, Hobbs played in 28 games and started the last nine for the Wolverines, who are a No. 6 seed and open the tournament against UNLV on Friday. She averages 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Cotie McMahon, Centerville High School — Ohio State
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, McMahon is a 6-foot guard who started every game for the thirdseeded Buckeyes, who play host to No. 14 James Madison on Saturday in Columbus.
McMahon is second on the team with 14.7 points per game and shooting 51.5% from the floor.
AREA PLAYERS IN THE MEN’S TOURNAMENT: Andre Gordon, Sidney High School — Texas A&M
The 6-2 senior averages 2.2 points per game for the Aggies. He played in all 32 games, starting six, and is shooting 31% from 3-point range.
Kebba Nije, Centerville (hometown) — Penn State
A 6-10, 237-pound freshman, Nije started 24 games and played in 35. He averaged 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and is shooting over 50% from the floor. Nije played for the Elks for two seasons before finishing his high school career at La Lumiere in Indiana.
Ian Sabouin, Badin High School — Xavier
A 6-4, 195-pound freshman, Sabourin is a walk-on for the Musketeers majoring in finance. He has played in two games.
Trey Robinson, Hamilton High School — Northern Kentucky
A 6-6, 220-pound junior, Robinson has played significant minutes throughout his career for the Norse and averages 6.9 points and 3.7 rebounds this season. He is shooting 34.7% from 3-point range this season and has 88 steals in 88 career games.
Alex Williams, Xenia (hometown) — Furman
A 6-5, 235-pound sophomore, Williams played his high school ball for Cincinnati Moeller and has played in 41 games for the Paladins over the past two seasons. He is averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.