March Madness: 7 Memphis Grizzlies’ Alma Maters Reach NCAA Tournament Field of 68
The NCAA Tournament bracket has been released and members of the Memphis Grizzlies could own serious bragging rights as March Madness is set to take off this week.
March Madness is officially upon us in the NCAA ranks. In assessing the Memphis Grizzlies’ current roster, it is unique considering a culmination of guys with collegiate, international, and high school experience within their rightful backgrounds.
Veteran newcomer C.J. Miles is one of the last NBA players to make the jump from high school directly to the association. He totally missed out on the college experience, though he has had a successful 14-season (and counting) run in the league.
Two other recent newcomers — Bruno Caboclo and Jonas Valanciunas — entered the NBA after proving themselves on the international circuit, therefore no collegiate (NCAA) experience for them.
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Of their remaining 14 players under contract (including two two-way spots), seven current Memphis Grizzlies witnessed their alma mater landing a trip to the “Big Dance,” the Men’s Division I NCAA Tournament. The seven guys are as follows:
- Dillon Brooks (Oregon)
- Mike Conley (Ohio State)
- Tyler Dorsey (Oregon)
- Justin Holiday (Washington)
- Jaren Jackson Jr (Michigan State)
- Joakim Noah (Florida)
- Chandler Parsons (Florida)
It is rare to see an NBA team have not one pair, but two pairs, of teammates hailing from the same institution. To make things more shocking, Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey were collegiate teammates at Oregon, which bodes well for the Grizzlies’ team chemistry among their youthful core moving forward.
March Madness and the NCAA Tournament is a fun time in the Hoops world, especially for NBA players. It makes locker room settings more fun, too. It adds reason for trash talking and taking home bragging rights. Just as Joakim Noah, now the owner of two NCAA National Championship rings.
The potential exists for Mike Conley’s Ohio State Buckeyes to meet Justin Holiday’s Washington Huskies prior to the Final Four in the Elite Eight round. Any other potential Grizz-versus-Grizz alma mater matchups would have to take place in the Final Four or Championship rounds.
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All in all, the key item to watch is the NBA Draft stock of a lot of these collegiate prosepcts. This is the time that a lot of Draft hopefuls really prove themselves and demonstrate their NBA-readiness (or lack thereof). ‘Tis the season, hoops fans! March Madness! Which current member of the Memphis Grizzlies will own the most bragging rights during this NCAA Tournament?