Maryland Roots Run Deep in March Madness as 17 Former High school Stars Set to Have Their One Shining Moment

March Madness is officially back, and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Once again, people will be filling out brackets and doing extensive reasearch to determine which school will win it all.

THE BRACKET 🤩

Fill out yours: https://t.co/Jt9eXr7f5T pic.twitter.com/9g8ciMYUhv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 15, 2026

Maryland Is Well Represented in the Big Dance

While attention typically focuses on powerhouse programs and star players, the tournament also highlights the deep roots of high school basketball talent across the country. One U.S. state that is known for having multiple high school basketball alums in the Big Dance is Maryland.

From nationally known programs such as DeMatha Catholic and St. Frances Academy to rising prep powers and public school standouts, 17 players with Maryland high school ties will be part of this year’s tournament field.

From teams looking to be the next Cinderella to programs with a legitimate chance of competing for a national title. Among the former Maryland prep stars is Cam Ward, a forward from Largo High School who now plays for Michigan State. Louisville forward Khani Rooths, who starred at Georgetown Prep, is another Maryland product seeking to make his mark on college basketball's biggest stage.

The University of Connecticut, a squad which has recent national championship success, features two Maryland alumni in Dwayne Koroma (Bishop Walsh) and Eric Reibe (Bullis), while Texas A&M guard Neiko Mundey developed at Prince George’s Christian Academy before heading to the SEC.

Baltimore powerhouse Mount St. Joseph also has a representative in UMBC guard Ace Valentine, while Poly graduate Barry Evans is competing with VCU.

Other Maryland products in the tournament include Bryce Lindsay (St. Frances Academy, Villanova), Malachi Palmer (Mt. Zion Prep, Villanova), Tyler Perkins (Landon, Villanova), Francis Folefac (Mt. Zion Prep, Siena), Jomo Goings (Winston Churchill, LIU), Saahil Thakkar (Northwest, UMBC) and Jake Stout (Boys’ Latin, UMBC).

Here is a school-by-school list of Maryland players who will appear in the 2026 NCAA Men's Tournament.

Furman

Cole Bowser, Guard - DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville)

Howard

Jeremiah Johnson, Guard - Bullis (Potomac)

LIU

Jomo Goings, Guard - Winston Churchill (Potomac)

Louisville

Khani Rooths, Forward - Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda)

Michigan State

Cam Ward, Forward - Largo (Upper Marlboro)

Siena

Francis Folefac, Forward - Mt. Zion Prep (Seabrook)

Texas A&M

Neiko Mundey, Guard - Prince George's Christian Academy (Landover)

UConn

Dwayne Koroma, Forward - Bishop Walsh (Baltimore)

Eric Reibe, Center - Bullis (Potomac)

UMBC

Caden Diggs, Forward - Bullis (Potomac)

Jake Stout, Guard/Forward - Boys' Latin (Baltimore)

Saahil Thakkar, Guard - Northwest (Germantown)

Ace Valentine, Guard - Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore)

VCU

Barry Evans, Forward - Poly (Baltimore)

Tyrell Ward, Guard - DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville)

Villanova

Bryce Lindsay, Guard - St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

Malachi Palmer, Guard - Mt. Zion Prep (Seabrook)

Tyler Perkins, Guard - Landon (Bethesda)