2011 NCAA Tournament Full of First Team Alums

By Ryan Wood, iHoops.com March 16, 2011

The NCAA men's basketball tournament will start this week, and the legacy of the iHoops First Team program is all over the bracket.

In all, 32 former members of the iHoops First Team program are on NCAA Tournament rosters, with teams in every bracket represented. First Team, a program that helps student-athletes navigate the recruiting process, worked to provide positive mentorship for all of these players as they prepared for playing in college and beyond.

Here are the 32 showcasing their talents on college basketball's biggest stage:

East Region

Villanova: Malik Wayns pours in 14.0 points and 4.5 assists per game for the 9th-seeded Wildcats. James Bell puts in 2.5 points per game in a limited role.

West Virginia: Darryl "Truck" Bryant averages 10.9 points and 3.1 assists per game for the Mountaineers, one of the top teams in a loaded Big East.

Kentucky: Brandon Knight leads the team scoring 17.5 points per game, while Doron Lamb has chipped in 13.0 points per game.

Princeton: Benjamin Hazel has averaged 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in limited action for the Ivy League champions.

Syracuse: Brandon Triche pours in 11.3 points, 2.9 assits and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Orange, the 3 seed in the East.

Washington: Scott Suggs contributes 7.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game for the Huskies, who won the Pac-10 tournament in dramatic fashion.

North Carolina: Three former First Teamers are playing big roles for the Tar Heels. Leslie McDonald averages 7.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while Dexter Strickland posts similar numbers with 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Kendall Marshall averages 6.1 points and 5.8 assists per game.

West Region

Duke: Kyrie Irving has missed most of the year with an injury but averaged 17.4 points per game before going down. Josh Hairston averages 1.4 points per game in limited time, while Tyler Thornton averages 1.6 ppg.

Tennessee: Trae Golden averages 13.2 minutes per game for the Tennessee Volunteers, scoring 2.9 points and dishing 2.2 assists per game.

Southwest Region

Florida State: In just 16 minutes per game, Okaro White averages 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Seminoles.

Kansas: Travis Releford has played 11.3 minutes per game for the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, averaging 4.2 points per game. Kansas is 32-2 heading into the tournament.

Illinois: Tyler Griffey has played 24 games for the Illini, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Louisville: Steven Vantreese averages 3.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for the Cardinals. Jared Swopshire has missed the entire season with an injury.

Morehead State: Kevin Gray has averaged 3.8 minutes per game for the Eagles, who won the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

Georgetown: Austin Freeman is the Hoyas' leading scorer, dropping 17.9 points per game. Fellow First Teamer Chris Wright is right behind him with a 13.1 ppg average.

Purdue: D.J. Byrd is a crucial piece of the Boilermakers puzzle, averaging 5.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for the Big Ten power.

Texas A&M: Logging significant minutes for the Aggies, Naji Hibbert averaged 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Southeast Region

Florida: Eric Murphy, in limited time, averages 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Gators.

UCLA: Josh Smith contributes 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the tradition-rich Bruins, the 7 seed in the Southeast.

Wofford: Cameron Rundles is a big key for the Terriers, averaging 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Belmont: Drew Hanlen provides leadership for the Bruins and chips in 6.4 points and 4.0 assists per game.

Pittburgh: Ashton Gibbs is the top scorer for the Southeast's top team, pouring in 16.7 points per contest.

Kansas State: Shane Southwell plays about 12 minutes per game and averages 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per outing. Wisconsin: Freshman center Evan Anderson is red-shirting for the Badgers.