Four Former Northern Virginia high school boys’ basketball players competed in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament last week.
From Villanova University, former Herndon High star Scottie Reynolds, the Wildcats’ leading scorer this season at 16 points per game, saw his team fall to Kansas, 72-57, in a Midwest Region semifinals game played last Friday in Detroit.
With the loss, the 12th seeded Villanova squad saw its season end at 22-13. Kansas, the top seed, went on to defeat underdog Davidson two days later to qualify for next Saturday’s Final Four in San Antonio.
Reynolds, the former Northern Region Player of the Year, finished with a team-high 11 points against the Jayhawks. A sophomore, Reynolds made four-of-13 field goals and one-of-one from three-point territory in the loss.
Reynolds, who played high school ball for the Hornets under Gary Hall, led the Wildcats with his stellar play in earlier tournament wins over both Clemson and Siena. He scored 25 points in the win over Clemson.
Jason Colenda, a 2007 graduate of Bishop O’Connell High School, was also a member of the Villanova team this winter. A freshman reserve, Colenda saw playing time in the loss to Kansas.
SENIOR BACKUP center Peter Prowitt (Potomac School in McLean) and his Stanford University teammates saw their season end at the Sweet 16 with a South Region semifinals loss to No. 2 Texas, 82-62, last Friday night in Houston. Prowitt, in his final collegiate game, got into the Sweet 16 contest and was 0-for-1 from the field. The Cardinal were a No. 3 seed going into the tournament. Texas, following the win over Stanford, saw its season end on Sunday with a region finals loss to top seed Memphis.
Prowitt was a dominating front court player during his high school playing career at Potomac School, where he graduated from in 2004. He was part of a Stanford team that finished 28-8 this season.
BISHOP O’CONNELL’S Marcus Ginyard is part of a University of North Carolina (36-2) team that won games last week over both Washington State, 68-47, and Louisville to capture the East Region and qualify for Saturday’s Final Four.
Ginyard, a Tar Heels’ starter, has been a steady presence for coach Roy Hill’s squad all season long. A guard/forward, Ginyard is not a big scorer (7 points per game), but he is a sure ball handler, a solid rebounder and good in the clutch. There were times during the final minutes of the Tar Heels’ close game win over Louisville in which the former Knight standout flawlessly took the ball down the court under intense defensive pressure. Ginyard, who played under O’Connell coach Joe Wootten, seems to have the perfect calmness and mindset needed to handle big-game collegiate pressure.
Ginyard and the Tar Heels will meet Kansas next Saturday for the right to play in Monday night’s national finals game. Both Carolina and Kansas are the top seeds from their respective regions.