Plenty of state connections in this year’s NCAA Tournament
With UConn and Hartford, Connecticut has two teams in the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years, when both UConn and Yale got bids.
Fairfield nearly made it three Nutmeg-based teams, before Rick Pitino and Iona thwarted their dreams on Saturday. And imagine if the Ivy League had a season this year and Yale won for the fourth time in six years?
But we digress. Along with the Huskies and Hawks, there will be several other players and coaches with Connecticut ties in this year’s Big Dance. Here’s who:
TAHJ EADDY, USC
The West Haven product has had a terrific season as a grad transfer for the Trojans. He’s second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game, behind only 7-foot likely NBA lottery pick Evan Mobley. Eaddy, who played at Notre Dame-West Haven, began his college career at Southeast Missouri State, then played two seasons at Santa Clara before transferring to USC last spring. The 6foot-2 guard shot 39.2 percent on 3-pointers, including a game-winner with 1.4 seconds left last week to beat rival UCLA.
JOSH REAVES, MT. ST. MARY’S
The Hamden product and former Notre DameFairfield standout is a freshman at Mount St. Mary’s, which punched its ticket by beating Bryant University in the Northeast Conference finals on Tuesday. Reaves, a GameTimeCT second team All
State selection in 2017-18, is a 6-4 freshman guard who has started 18 of the Mountaineers’ 22 games, averaging 7.0 points.
AARON WHEELER, PURDUE
Stamford product is averaging 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds as a key player off the bench for the Boilermakers. A 6-9 junior forward, Wheeler played two seasons at Trinity Catholic before heading off to prep school.
ALTERIQUE GILBERT, WICHITA STATE
Beloved former UConn guard transferred last spring to Wichita State as a grad student and helped lead the Shockers to the AAC regularseason title. Gilbert, whose four years at UConn were marred by injuries, is Wichita’s second-leading scorer at
10.3 ppg while doling out a team-best
4.1 assists per game. He earned AAC third-team all-conference honors.
JORDAN BRUNER, ALABAMA
The talented 6-10 forward played
three seasons at Yale, helping the Bulldogs to the Ivy League title in 2019. With one more year of eligibility left but none in the Ivy, Bruner transferred to Alabama, where he’s averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in the 20 games (all starts) he’s played. Bruner did miss eight games due to injury.
STEVE PIKIELL, RUTGERS
The former UConn player and assistant coach to Jim Calhoun has led Rutgers to its first NCAA tournament berth in 30 years. In his fifth season as head coach, Pikiell has led the Scarlet Knights to a 15-11 record and sixth-place finish in the best conference in America, the Big 10.
VANCE JACKSON, ARKANSAS
Along with Gilbert, a member of the UConn’s “Top 5” 2016 recruiting class, Jackson spent one season with the Huskies before transferring to New Mexico. Now a grad transfer at Arkansas, the 6-9 forward averages
3.8 points per game for the Razorbacks and shoots 35 percent from
3-point land.
EMMITT MATTHEWS, JR., WEST VIRGINIA
A 2018 UConn recruit from Tacoma, Washington, Matthews de-committed following Kevin Ollie’s firing and wound up at West Virginia. The 6-7 junior forward averages 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Mountaineers.
CHOL MARIAL, MARYLAND
Seven-foot sophomore from South Sudan spent a year at Cheshire Academy where, besides starring in hoops, he also played tennis! Marial has played sparingly for the Terps this season, averaging 1.6 ppg.