Local Hoops Insider: A Guide to Milwaukee Natives in the NCAA Tournament

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Photo: New Mexico State - nmstsatesports.com

Virshon Cotton

Virshon Cotton

After a four-year hiatus, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games are back in Milwaukee. Local fans can head over to the Fiserv Forum on Friday, March 18 to watch the University of Wisconsin face off against Colgate as well as three other high-quality matchups.

This is the first time since 2014 that the Badgers have played a tourney game in Milwaukee, but they won’t be the only local participant worth rooting for this year. Twelve players from the Greater Milwaukee Area feature for schools that reached this year’s NCAA Tournament, and a few will even play at the Forum.

Here is a complete list of the talented local hoopers who will be on display on college basketball’s biggest stage.

West Region

New Mexico State

Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee King High School)

There are last-minute commitments, then there is Virshon Cotton. He only arrived in Las Cruces, NM a few hours before the Aggies’ intrasquad scrimmage this past October, and played in the game not knowing anyone on the team.

Cotton has never taken the conventional path though. Once a standout at Milwaukee King High School, Cotton transferred to Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix to gain the attention of college scouts.

He started his collegiate career at Akron then sat out a year before transferring to Long Island. After two seasons in New York, Cotton is now a New Mexico State Aggie. His playing time has been inconsistent, but the point guard has been an impressive offensive weapon off the bench in recent weeks.

Texas Tech

Adonis Arms (Milwaukee Native)

Few players in all of NCAA basketball have experienced a collegiate journey as unique as that of Adonis Arms, a Milwaukee native who moved to Phoenix, AZ in sixth grade:

• 2016-17, 2017-18: Mesa Community College
• 2018-19: Northwest Nazarene (Division II)
• 2019-20: Redshirt Transfer
• 2020-21: Winthrop
• 2021-22: Texas Tech

Now Arms is part of his second NCAA Tournament team in two years—and this time the rangy wing has a real shot at a national championship.

South Region

Wright State

Grant Basile (Pewaukee High School)

For the fourth consecutive season, it appeared that Grant Basile and Wright State would suffer a heart-breaking defeat in the Horizon League Tournament.

In 2019, the top-seeded Raiders fell to Northern Kentucky in the conference championship game. The following year, Wright State won the regular-season title again but fell to Illinois-Chicago in the semis.

2020/21 was the worst of all; the high-flying Raiders held a 24-point advantage over UW-Milwaukee with 8:07 remaining, only for UWM to stage a miraculous comeback and win in overtime.

This year, Wright State trailed by 16 points against Northern Kentucky in the second half of the Horizon League title game—only the script was changed. A near-perfect last 10 minutes was capped off by a go-ahead jumper by Raiders guard Trey Calvin with 10.5 seconds left—which proved to be the game-winner.

Big man Grant Basile posted 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists that game, perfectly in line with his season averages (18.5/8.6/2.1). Wright State fans have gotten used to these types of steady performances from their 6-9 big man over the last two years, which have earned him back-to-back Second Team All-Horizon League nods. Next stop: the NCAA Tournament.

Alex Huibregtse (Grafton High School)

Huibregtse was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a back injury in Wright State’s second game. The Grafton graduate is worth noting though as he was the only true freshman to appear in all 24 games for the Raiders last year.

Illinois

Brandin Podziemski (St. John’s Northwestern Academy)

Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball in 2021, Podziemski averaged 35.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 4.0 steals as a senior at St. John’s Northwestern. This year, Podziemski has rarely played for a highly talented Illini team.

East Region

Marquette

Michael Kennedy (Homestead High School)

A Homestead graduate, Kennedy has played seven minutes across three seasons for the Golden Eagles.

David Joplin (Brookfield Central High School)

As a senior at Brookfield Central in 2020/21, Joplin was one of the state’s must-watch players. He posted 25.6 points, 10.6 rebounds per game and was ranked as the number 74 in the country by 247sports.com.

Joplin changed his commitment from Texas to Marquette to follow coach Shaka Smart but has largely been ineffective in his first collegiate season.

Midwest Region

Richmond

Sullivan Kulju (New Berlin Eisenhower High School)

Kulju has played 25 minutes in 15 games across five seasons, and his patience and persistence have finally paid off with an NCAA Tournament berth.

South Dakota State

Jaylon Gentry (Brown Deer High School)

The Summit League has long attracted some of the state’s best talent, and SDSU has consistently been a top landing spot for Wisconsinites.

Gentry played two seasons at Central Wyoming Community College before transferring to Brookings, and the pride of Brown Deer is still working his way into the Jackrabbits rotation.

Iowa State

Tyrese Hunter (Racine St. Catherine’s High School)

The number two recruit in Wisconsin last year is one of the Cyclones’ most important players, but let’s put into context just how impressive the freshman from Racine has been.

Hunter is one of three Big 12 freshmen who has played more than half of their team’s minutes. He also leads all underclassmen in the conference and ranks sixth among all Big 12 players in minutes played.

One cannot forget his statistical output either: 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Local fans can see Hunter and the Cyclones face off against LSU on Friday night.

Wisconsin

Carter Gilmore (Arrowhead High School)

A 6-7 sophomore from Hartland, Gilmore was a key reserve early in the season but has played just two minutes since the start of February. He is one of four Wisconsinites to feature for the Badgers this year and the only one from the Greater Milwaukee Area.

USC

Kobe Johnson (Nicolet High School)

Calling Kobe Johnson “another elite recruit from Wisconsin” doesn’t do justice to his ability on the court, but it does highlight just how much first-rate talent the state has been producing in recent years.

Johnson was named to the All-State team in each of his final three years at Nicolet, and while he is still learning on the offensive side of the ball, the freshman has demonstrated great defensive ability. He posted five steals in 11 minutes during a double-OT win over Oregon State last month.