Philly locals to watch in NCAA tournament

After six days straight of NCAA Men’s Tournament games, we enter go mostly dark until Thursday. Sure, the NIT and CBI games are still going on, but the Big Dance is on pause for a bit.

That said, now is the perfect time to look ahead at who from Philly will play in the Sweet 16 on the men’s side:

Michigan State: A.J. Hoggard (Coatesville, Pa.)

A.J. Hoggard is a do-it-all guard for the Spartans, averaging 12.5 points per game, 5.9 assists per game and 3.7 rebounds per game. The junior has scored double digits in seven consecutive games, including 11 in the first round against USC and 13 against Marquette in the Round of 32.

Hoggard spent two seasons in the Catholic League at Archbishop Caroll before finishing his high school career at Huntington Prep (West Virginia). Coming out of high school, Hoggard was a four-star recruit and the number two player in Pennsylvania, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

Gonzaga: Rasir Bolton (Penn State)

Rasir Bolton spent one season at Penn State before transferring out due to several instances of mistreatment from his head coach, Patrick Chambers. The situation eventually led to Chambers stepping down as head coach.

» READ MORE: NCAA Tournament roundup with Philly locals who continue to dance

Bolton played two seasons at Iowa State and then transferred to Gonzaga, where he is in his second season. Bolton has averaged double figures in every year of his career and is a full-time starter for the Bulldogs this season. In Gonzaga’s second-round win over TCU, the 6-foot-3 guard scored 17 points.

Alabama: Jahvon Quinerly (Villanova)

A former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Quinerly spent one season on the Main Line, where he played sparingly. The Wildcats ended up playing Collin Gillespie over him, and, you know, that worked out pretty well.

Since leaving Villanova, Quinerly has played well for the Tide. After sitting out a season due to transfer rules, the shifty guard averaged double digits over the next two years. During last year’s NCAA Tournament, he tore his ACL but has been a key contributor this season, scoring a game-high 22 points against Maryland to send Alabama to the Sweet 16.

Houston: Jarace Walker (New Freedom, Pa.)

Miami: Isaiah Wong (Bonner), Wooga Poplar (Math, Civics & Sciences Charter)

Jarace Walker began his high school career at Susquehannock in Glen Rock before transferring to play for powerhouse IMG Academy. The 6-foot-8 freshman forward was a consensus five-star recruit in high school and has lived up to the hype, earning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and All-AAC honors.

Isaiah Wong only spent two seasons in the Catholic League at Bonner and Prendergast but made his time count, winning league MVP both years. This season at Miami, Wong took home ACC Player of the Year honors and currently averages 16.1 ppg.

Wooga Poplar was a three-time all-state selection at MCS and ranked a four-star recruit by 247 Sports. In his second season at Miami, he’s averaging 8.4 ppg with 33 starts.

The Hurricanes also have some locals on the coaching staff. Assistant coach DJ Irving (Archbishop Carroll) is a Chester native and spent recent years coaching at Roman Catholic. Associate Director of Basketball Operations Joe Gimbel was a graduate assistant at Temple from 2018-2020.

Princeton: Konrad Kiszka (La Salle High School), Jacob O’Connell (St. Joe’s Prep), Keeshawn Kellman (Allentown, Pa.)

The Tigers have a trio of locals on the roster, the most noteworthy being Keeshawn Kellman. The 6-foot-9 forward is from Allentown and spent time at Allentown Central Catholic before playing at the Perkiomen School.

This season, Kellman has averaged 8.0 ppg and is 8-for-9 from the field in the NCAA Tournament. If I’m Princeton, feed the hot hand.