Boston Sports Alumni Connections to the March Madness NCAA Final Four

Four NCAA basketball teams have punched their tickets to Phoenix for the 2017 Final Four, some Boston athletes planted their roots at these schools.

North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Gonzaga have blazed the path to the NCAA Final Four. Each school has at least one former player on the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox rosters.

Of course, these players will be rooting for their alma mater to cut down the nets when March Madness ends (in April).

Let’s take a look at who’s representing each school in the Boston area.

North Carolina

The University of North Carolina Tarheels are no stranger to the Final Four. They’re always in the championship picture and last won the title in 2009. Current Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller was a freshman on that team. He began the year replacing an injure Tyler Hansbrough before a broken arm sidelined him. He came back in February and played off the bench. Seller played for the Tar Heels for four seasons, averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds. He played in the NCAA Tournament three times.

Oregon

Patrick Chung is the lone Oregon Duck that plays for a Boston area team. The New England Patriots safety has been integral on the defense, and has helped the team raise two Lombardi trophies. At Oregon, Chung was a force to be reckoned with. He started more games as a defensive player in Oregon football history than anyone else with 51 straight starts. Chung was twice First-team All-PAC-10.

Gonzaga

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As the Gonzaga basketball team has been heating up, so has alumni Kelly Olynyk. The Celtics role player has come on strong lately, with solid performances down the stretch. Olynyk is helping the Boston Celtics battle for the #1 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. This is Gonzaga’s first Final Four appearance but they have become tournament regulars. Kelly Olynyk spent four years at Gonzaga but redshirted his junior year to improve. In his senior season Olynyk averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.3 rebounds. Gonzaga was the #1 seed in the west that season but was upset in the second round by #9 Wichita State.

South Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks were not on anyones radar heading into the NCAA Tournament, but now they’ve reached the Final Four. They have two alumni playing in the Boston area now. One is the newest New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore was signed by the Patriots a few weeks ago and has yet to play a game in Foxboro, but he’s already the team’s #1 corner. At South Carolina Gilmore was a starter from day one after graduating high school early to attend spring practice. He was named a Freshman All-American that year. He earned All-SEC honors twice, and All-American honors once. Gilmore also played offense occasionally, and he completed a pass to current NFL wideout Alshon Jeffery in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox is the other Gamecocks representative. He began his South Carolina career in 2009 and as a freshman he batted .349. He spent one more year at South Carolina posting a .368 average with 13 home runs. In the College World Series tournament JBJ went 10 for 29 and earned the Most Outstanding Player award. Bradley Jr. then was drafted 40th overall by Boston and began his professional career.

Next: Celtics Year to Remember

These guys will surely be rooting for their respective schools in the Final Four, but I know as fans we just want to see the Boston success.

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