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Two Former Maryland High School Basketball Stars to Face Off in Sweet 16 Matchup

UConn's Eric Reibe and Michigan State's Cam Ward were the top two Class of 2025 recruits in Maryland
Harry Lichtman|
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UConn Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) dunks the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UConn Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) dunks the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament will begin its set of Sweet 16 games on Thursday and Friday. One particular matchup is sure to catch eyes in the state of Maryland, and the Washington D.C.-Metropolitan area.

No. 3 seed UConn will face No. 2 seed Michigan State at Capital One Arena on Friday, March 27. Most notably, Bullis School alum Eric Reibe plays for the Huskies, while Largo High School alum Cam Ward represents the Spartans.

Here is a look at the significance of the Sweet 16 matchup between the former Maryland high school basketball stars.

Reibe and Ward Were Maryland's Top Two Class of 2025 Recruits

Both Reibe and Ward are college freshmen now, but had already received a lot of attention in the DMV high school basketball scene. They were four-star recruits and the top two Class of 2025 boys basketball recruits in the state of Maryland, per 247sports.com.

The 7-foot-1 German big man had visited schools like Kansas, Indiana, and Oregon before settling on UConn. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-8 Upper Marlboro native visited Maryland, Marquette, Alabama, and Kansas State, but committed to Michigan State.

Reibe was a Key Piece to Bullis' Basketball Team

Originally from Germany, Reibe played for head coach Bruce Kelley at The Bullis School in Potomac. He joined the Bulldogs in January 2023 and contributed to three consecutive Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) basketball championships. Reibe also closed his senior season with Bullis winning the Maryland private school state title in 2025.

While at Bullis, Reibe played alongside other teammates who have gone on to the college level, including Caden Diggs (UMBC) and Adrien Stevens (Marquette).

Ward Made History on Largo's Basketball Team

Ward played for Largo High School's boys basketball team under his father Rodney Ward. As a senior, the former Lion made history as Maryland's all-time public school leading scorer for high school basketball.

Ward finished his history-making senior season at Largo on a high note. He led the Lions to back-to-back MPSSAA 2A boys basketball state championships in 2024 and 2025.

Both Players Previously Faced Each Other in December 2024

Back in December 2024, Bullis and Largo faced off in a regular season game at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va. The highly-regarded recruits got to face each other in their memorable senior seasons.

The Bulldogs ended up beating the Lions 68-56. Reibe led all scorers with 23 points, while Ward finished with 22 points in the game.

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Harry Lichtman
HARRY LICHTMAN

Harry Lichtman is a sports reporter based in Montgomery County, MD and the DC area. He also writes for Capitals Outsider and LastWordOnSports, and previously wrote for MLB Report, The Sports Pulse, the Baltimore Jewish Times, the Montgomery County Sentinel, and The Bottom Line newspaper at Frostburg State University. In 2020, Harry won an MDDC Press award for a story about former high school lacrosse head coach Jeff Fritz. Harry has been writing since 2016.

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