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Lots of suburban and state talent in NCAA tourney
Illinois has its share of basketball talent spread across the country for the start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The suburbs can lay claim to some talented players expected to make a mark in the tournament as well, such as Mundelein’s Ben Brust and Benet’s Frank Kaminski at Wisconsin, Warren Township’s Brandon Paul at Illinois, and Neuqua Valley’s Dwayne Evans at Saint Louis. For our own starting five, we’d draft Glenbrook South’s Jack Cooley at Notre Dame.
After glancing at the rosters, here’s a look at players who hail from our state, and a few head coaches with ties to the Land of Lincoln as well:
Akron
Deji Ibitayo: Guard (S0), Chicago (Rich Central) Stats: 1.8 rebs, 3.0 pts
Albany
Mike Black: Guard (SR), Chicago (Fenwick) Stats: 3.2 rebs, 14.9 pts
Dave Wiegmann: Forward (JR), Breese (Southwestern) Stats: 0.6 rebs, 0.4 pts
Boise State
Derrick Marks: Guard (SO), Chicago (Plainfield Central) Stats: 3.7 rebs, 16.3 pts
Bucknell
Ben Brackney: Guard (JR), Lincoln (Lincoln) Stats: 1.0 rebs, 1.8 pts
Butler
Roosevelt Jones: Forward (SO), O’Fallon (O’Fallon) Stats: 5.7 rebs 10.1 pts
Davidson
Clay Tormey: Guard (JR), Chicago (Henderson) Stats: 0.2 reb, 0.1 pts
Duke
Todd Zafirovski: Forward (SR), Lake Forest (LF Acad.) Stats: 0.5 rebs, 0.8 pts
Harvard
Alex Nesbitt: Guard (SO), Chicago (UC Laboratory) Stats: 0.1 rebs, 0.4 pts
Illinois
D.J. Richardson: Guard (SR), Peoria (Central; Findlay (Nev.) Prep) Stats: 3.9 rebs, 12.4 pts
Joseph Bertrand: Guard (RS JR), Sterling (Sterling) Stats: 4.2 rebs, 7.6 pts
Brandon Paul: Guard (SR), Gurnee (Warren Township) Stats: 4.4 rebs, 16.6 pts
Mike LaTulip: Guard (FR), Arlington Heights (Prospect) Stats: 0.1 rebs, 1.2 pts
Tracy Abrams: Guard (SO) Chicago (Mount Carmel) Stats: 3.5 rebs, 10.6 pts
Mike Shaw: Forward (SO), Chicago (De La Salle) Stats: 0.8 rebs, 0.9 pts
Myke Henry: Guard/F (SO), Chicago (Orr) Stats: 2.2 rebs, 3.4 pts
Rayvonte Rice: Guard (JR), Champaign (Centennial) Stats: none
Kevin Berardini: Guard (RS JR), Lake Forest (Lake Forest) Stats: 0.2 rebs, 0.5 pts
Nnanna Egwu: Center (SO), Chicago (Saint Ignatius) Stats: 4.6 rebs, 6.4 pts
Kansas
Jamari Traylor: Forward (RS FR). Chicago (IMG Acad. Fla.) Stats: 2.2 rebs, 2.1 pts
Kansas State
Michael Orris: Guard (FR), Crete (Crete-Monee) Stats: 0.1 rebs, 0.3 pts
Louisville
Wayne Blackshear: Guard/F (SO), Chicago (Morgan Park) Stats: 3.2 rebs, 8.0 pts
Marquette
Dylan Flood: Guard (RS SO), Lemont (Benet Academy) Stats: 0.0 rebs, 0.0 pts.
Steve Taylor Jr.: Forward (FR), Chicago (Simeon) Stats: 2.2 rebs, 3.4 pts
Memphis
Stan Simpson: Forward (SR), Chicago (Simeon), left Illini after one redshirt season Stats: 1.1 rebs, 1.6 pts
Michigan
Matt Vogrich: Guard (SR), Lake Forest (Lake Forest) Stats: 0.9 rebs, 1.0 pts
Josh Bartelstein: Guard (SR), Highland Park (Phillips Exeter Academy, N.H.) Stats: 1.8 minutes per game after returning from ankle surgery
Max Bielfeldt: Forward (RS FR), Peoria (Notre Dame)
Stats: 1.6 rebs, 1.2 pts
Ohio State
Lenzelle Smith Jr.: Guard (JR), Zion (Zion-Benton) Stats: 4.9 rebs, 9.5 pts
Sam Thompson: Forward (SO), Chicago (Whitney Young) Stats: 3.2 rebs, 7.4 pts
Oklahoma
D.J. Bennett: Forward (JR) Chicago Indian Hills (Iowa) CC Stats: none
North Carolina A&T
Corvon Butler: Forward (FR), Champaign (Central) Stats: 1.0 rebs, 0.9 pts
Notre Dame
Jack Cooley: Forward (SR), Glenview (Glenbrook South) Stats: 10.3, 13.1 pts
Saint Louis
Mike McCall: Guard (JR), Chicago (Foreman) Stats: 2.5 rebs, 5.7 pts
Dwayne Evans: Forward (JR), Bolingbrook (Neuqua Valley) Stats: 7.7 rebs, 13.7 pts
South Dakota State
Joshua White: Guard (FR), Edwardsville (Edwardsville) Stats: none
Valparaiso
LaVonte Dority: Guard (JR), Chicago (Foreman) Stats: 1.3 rebs, 9.0 pts
Alex Rossi: Guard (RS SO), Winnetka (New Trier) Stats: 0.4 rebs, 2.1 pts
Western Kentucky
Eddie Alcantara: Forward (FR), Chicago (Hales) Stats: 1.6 rebs, 1.6 pts
Wichita State
Fred Van Vlett: Guard (FR), Rockford (Auburn) Stats: 1.9 rebs, 3.9 pts
Wisconsin
Ben Brust: Guard (JR), Hawthorn Woods (Mundelein) Stats: 5.2 rebs, 11.2 pts
George Marshall: Guard (RS FR), Chicago (Brooks Prep) Stats: 0.7 rebs, 4.2 pts
Dan Fahey: Guard (SR), Chicago (St. Ignatius) Stats: 0.6 rebs, 1.1 pts
Duje Dukan: Forward (JR), Deerfield (Deerfield) Stats: Redshirt season
Frank Kaminsky: Forward (SO), Lisle (Benet Academy) Stats: 1.7 rebs, 4.2 pts.
Coaches with ties
Bill Self: former Illini coach now at Kansas (29-5)
Bruce Weber: former Illini coach at Kansas State (27-7)
Lon Kruger: former Illini coach at Oklahoma (20-11)
Jim Crews: Born in Normal, now interim head coach at Saint Louis (27-6)
Thad Motta: Born in Hoopeston, now head coach at Ohio State (26-7)
Fred Hoiberg: Former Bulls player at Iowa State (22-11)
Mike Krzyzewski: Born in Chicago, now in his 34th season at Duke (27-5)
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