There’s a good chance there may be some familiar New England faces in this year’s edition of ‘One Shining Moment’ following the NCAA Tournament.
Several players with ties to the region, including New England natives and former NEPSAC standouts, are suiting up to play in March Madness this week. They range from low-majors who are hoping to lead Cinderella runs to high-majors with legitimate national championship hopes. Wherever you look in the brackets, New England is well represented.
Last year, Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Purdue’s CJ Cox were among New England products that made runs in the NCAA Tournament. Who might make the region proud over the next few weekends?
Here are 15 players with New England roots to watch for in March Madness.
Solo Ball & Alex Karaban, UConn
Ball: Junior, 6-4 guard; Brewster Academy/Leesburg, Va.
Karaban: Senior, 6-8 forward; New Hampton/Southborough, Mass.
Both of these New England products are starters for UConn. Ball has averaged 13.5 points per game this season while providing consistent play, and Karaban – a two-time national champion – has put up 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6 percent from deep. The second-seeded Huskies go up against No. 15 Furman in Friday’s first round at 10 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
Taylor Bol Bowen & London Jemison, Alabama
Bol Bowen: Junior, 6-10 forward; Brewster Academy/Jericho, Vt.
Jemison: Freshman, 6-8 wing; St. Thomas More/Bloomfield, Conn.
Bol Bowen and Jemison are both averaging 6.2 points per game this season and have been a healthy part of the Crimson Tide’s rotation. Jemison, a star for Jere Quinn at St. Thomas More for three seasons, has scored in double figures eight times this season, including a career-high 20-point game on Dec. 7. Alabama is the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, facing 13th-seeded Hofstra on Friday at 3:15 p.m. in Tampa, Fla.
Dion Brown, Saint Louis
Senior, 6-3 guard
High school: Vermont Academy
Hometown: Great Barrington, Mass.
After previous college stops at UMBC and Boston College, Brown is in his first season at Saint Louis. He’s the Billikens’ second-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game, their leading rebounder at 5.5 boards per game and he was named to the Atlantic 10’s All-Defensive team as he helped SLU to a 28-5 record, A-10 regular-season title and a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’ll play No. 8 Georgia on Thursday at 9:45 p.m. in Buffalo, N.Y.
CJ Cox, Purdue
Sophomore, 6-3 guard
High school: Milton Academy
Hometown: Lexington, Mass.
Cox became a starter as a freshman last year on a Purdue team that made the Sweet 16, and the former Middlesex Magic standout has continued to be a critical piece for Matt Painter’s Boilermakers. He averaged 8.3 points per game and shot 36.3 percent from 3-point range while starting all 35 games for Purdue, which is a No. 2 seed in the West Region and will face No. 15 Queens (N.C.) on Friday at 7:35 p.m. in St. Louis, Mo.
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Freshman, 6-9 wing
High school: Utah Prep
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
Dybantsa was one of the best players in the country as a freshman. He was named an AP All-American first team selection after leading the nation in scoring at 25.3 points per game, and he’s entering the NCAA Tournament on a heater after breaking Kevin Durant’s Big 12 tournament scoring record, amassing 93 points over three games. The former St. Sebastian’s standout leads the No. 6 seed Cougars, who will take on the No. 11 seed play-in winner of Texas or NC State, in their first-round game on Thursday at 7:25 p.m. in Portland, Ore.
Preston Edmead, Hofstra
Freshman, 6-1 guard
High school: Williston Northampton
Hometown: Deer Park, N.Y.
Our inaugural NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year after he led Williston Northampton to the championship last season, Edmead has been one of the most impactful freshmen in the country. He was named the CAA Rookie of the Year and the CAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after he led the Pride to the championship, which included a buzzer-beating overtime winner in the tournament semifinals. Edmead has averaged 15.9 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 38.3 percent from distance this season.
J.P. Estrella, Tennessee
Sophomore, 6-11 forward
High school: Brewster Academy
Hometown: Scarborough, Maine
Estrella is in strong form entering the tournament, averaging 12.2 points per game over his last 12 games, including a 22-point effort vs. South Carolina and 20-point, 10-rebound game vs. Vanderbilt in back-to-back games earlier this month. Tennessee is the No. 6 seed and will face either Miami (Ohio) or SMU on Friday at 4:25 p.m.
TJ Power, Penn
Junior, 6-9 forward
High school: Worcester Academy
Hometown: Shrewsbury, Mass.
After initial stops at Duke and Virginia didn’t work out, Power has looked rejuvenated at Penn, where he’s averaging 16.8 points and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per game this season. Power – who won back-to-back NEPSAC championships with Worcester Academy in 2022 and 2023 – erupted for a legendary 44-point, 14-rebound performance in Sunday’s Ivy League championship overtime victory over Yale to send Penn to its first NCAA Tournament since 2018.
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Penn boasts several more New England products. Freshman Jay Jones (Chestnut Hill, Mass.), a former Rivers and Cushing standout, has become part of the rotation. His former Rivers teammate Ryan Altman (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) has been out this season due to injury but has been an important part of scout teams in practice in addition to former Worcester Academy star Payton Kamin. The 14th-seeded Quakers face No. 3 Illinois on Thursday at 9:25 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.
Aaron Nkrumah, Tennessee State
Senior, 6-6 guard
High school: Worcester South
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
It’s been an interesting journey for Nkrumah, who started his college career at Division 3 Nichols – where he did not play – before transferring to Division 3 Worcester State in 2023-24, where he was named the MASCAC Player of the Year. He moved on to Tennessee State, where he’s been a two-year starter now and was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year this season after averaging 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. His 15th-seeded Tigers will face No. 2 Iowa State in the first round on Friday at 2:50 p.m. in St. Louis, Mo.
Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia
Senior, 7-0 center
High school: Putnam Science Academy
Hometown: Owerri, Nigeria
A national prep champion with Putnam, Onyenso spent two seasons at Kentucky and one with Kansas State before landing at Virginia, where he’s averaging 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 rebounds per game as a key role player. He’s a force as a rim protector, too, and became the first high-major player in college basketball history to record 100 blocks in fewer than 635 minutes played. The third-seeded Cavaliers face No. 14 Wright State on Friday at 1:50 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
Joson Sanon, St. John’s
Sophomore, 6-5 guard
High school: Vermont Academy
Hometown: Fall River, Mass.
The 2024 NEPSAC Class AAA Player of the Year and champion with Vermont Academy, Sonon has earned a significant role with St. John’s in their 28-win season that included the Big East tournament championship. He’s made 14 starts and played in all 34 games while averaging 8.3 points per game as a shotmaker who can get hot in a hurry. The No. 5 seed Red Storm will meet Northern Iowa in the first round on Friday at 7:10 p.m. in San Diego, Calif.
Kur Teng, Michigan State
Sophomore, 6-4 guard
High school: Bradford Christian Academy
Hometown: Manchester, N.H.
The 2024 NEPSAC Class AA Player of the Year, Teng saw limited minutes as a freshman at Michigan State but as seen his role increase significantly this winter, averaging 7.7 points per game on 38.1 percent 3-point shooting in 17.5 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures 13 times, including a career-high 18 points in a March 1 win over Indiana. The third-seeded Spartans face No. 14 North Dakota State on Thursday at 4:05 p.m. in Buffalo, N.Y.
Alex Wilkins, Furman
Freshman, 6-5 guard
High school: Brooks
Hometown: Mattapan, Mass.
Our NEPSAC Class B Player of the Year last season, Wilkins was one of the best freshmen in the country this season, averaging 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game as Furman’s starting point guard. He was named the Southern Conference tournament MVP after leading the Paladins to the championships, which included a career-high 34-point performance in the semifinals. Could Wilkins author a memorable upset over UConn? The stage is set for Friday night in Philadelphia.
