March Madness is a national obsession every spring, but this year’s NCAA tournament field comes with a distinctly Montgomery County flavor.
For fans looking for local names to follow in this year’s NCAA Tournament, The Perkiomen School leads the way. The Pennsburg program has an impressive group of alumni in the men’s bracket: Brant Byers of Miami of Ohio, Thomas Haugh and Xaivian Lee of Florida, KJ Cochran of Santa Clara, and Josh Odunowo of UMBC are all part of this year’s March Madness field.
Another tournament connection comes from The Hill School. Augustus Gerhart developed at the Pottstown school before helping Penn reach the tournament. Ed Holland III, now a senior at Howard, adds another area name to the list after his high school career at Friends Central in Penn Wynne.
The women’s bracket features several more local ties. Kaitlyn Flanagan of Holy Cross is a Plymouth Meeting native and Plymouth Whitemarsh alum. Logyn Greer, now a freshman at Colorado, also came through Friends’ Central. Grace McDonough, a freshman at James Madison, brings a Lansdale Catholic connection to the field.
Denae Carter, an alum of Jenkintown’s St. Basil Academy, is part of Villanova’s women’s tournament run.
Villanova gives the region added visibility by appearing in both the men’s and women’s brackets this year.
The most accomplished Montgomery County tie remains Geno Auriemma. The Norristown native has won 12 national championships at UConn and became the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history in 2024, making him the tournament’s most prominent Montco connection.
From powerhouse prep programs to hometown standouts and a Hall of Fame coach, Montgomery County has no shortage of reasons to feel invested in this year’s March Madness.
