With the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament set to begin, let’s take a look at the athletes who played at high schools in North Carolina.

43 total players from the tournament field spent some time at a high school in the Tar Heel State. The West region has the most players from North Carolina with 12.

We’ve included each player’s jersey number so you can spot them easily.

South Region

• (1) Auburn: #12 Joah Shay (Mount Tabor)
• (16) Alabama State: #24 Jerquarius Stanback (Asheboro)
• (16) St. Francis: #2 Ace Talbert (Combine Academy)
• (8) Louisville: #0 James Scott (Seventy-First/E.E. Smith)
• (11) North Carolina: #0 Ty Claude (Goldsboro/Moravian Prep), #5 Cade Tyson (Piedmont/Carmel Christian), #6 Elijah Davis (Jordan), #9 Drake Powell (Northwood), #14 Russell Hawkins (Mallard Creek), #15 John Holbrook (Hickory),#24 Jae’Lyn Withers (North Mecklenburg)

Notes: Stanback, Scott, Tyson, and Powell are all former HighSchoolOT All-State players.

West Region

• (1) Florida: #3 Micah Handlogten (SouthLake Christian)
• (16) Norfolk State: #3 My’kel Jenkins (Tarboro/out-of-state), #7 Kuluel Mading (The Burlington School)
• (14) UNC-Wilmington: #4 Nolan Hodge (Northern Guilford), #5 Noah Ross (Middle Creek/Trinity Academy), #6 Makel Smith (Morehead), #12 Shane Anthony (Crossroads Christian), #13 Makoi Mabor (Gaston Christian), #22 JoJo Fullwood (Pender)
• (7) Kansas: #0 Shakeel Moore (Piedmont Classical/Moravian Prep), #4 Rakease Passmore (A.C. Reynolds/Combine Academy)
• (10) Arkansas: #9 Jonas Aidoo (Voyager/Liberty Heights)

Notes: Mading, Hodge, Ross, Smith, Mabor, and Passmore are former HighSchoolOT All-State basketball players. Hanglogten was all-state… in lacrosse!

East Region

• (1) Duke: #1 Caleb Foster (Hickory Ridge), #3 Isaiah Evans (North Mecklenburg)
• (8) Baylor: #21 Davidson Hubbard (Ardrey Kell)
• (10) Vanderbilt: #2 M.J. Collins (Combine Academy), #7 Graham Calton (Charlotte Latin)
• (2) Alabama: #2 Aden Halloway (Covenant Day School/out-of-state), #15 Jarin Stevenson (Seaforth)
• (15) Robert Morris: #23 Chris Ford (North Mecklenburg), #31 Maurio Hanson (Chambers)

Notes: Evans, Ford, Hanson, and Stevenson are former HighSchoolOT All-State basketball players.

Midwest Region

• (9) Georgia: #5 Silas Demary Jr. (Millbrook/Combine Academy)
• (5) Clemson: #14 Christian Reeves (Cannon School)
• (13) High Point: #3 Trae Benham (Concord Academy), #55 Bobby Pettiford Jr. (South Granville)
• (6) Illinois: #2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (Word of God)
• (11) Texas: #5 Kadin Shedrick (Holly Springs)
• (11) Xavier: #0 Trey Green (Chambers/Lake Norman Christian/out-of-state)
• (2) Tennessee: #3 Bishop Boswell (South Mecklenburg/Myers Park), #8 Darlinstone Dubar (Rocky River/out-of-state)
• (15) Wofford: #11 Kahmare Holmes (Lake Norman Christian/out-of-state), #15 Hank Neace (Davidson Day)

Notes: Boswell, Demary Jr., and Pettiford Jr. are former HSOT All-State basketball players … Shedrick made the HSOT All-East Team, which was before All-State