Top 5 Philly-Born Players In The NCAA Tournament
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- I'm not talking suburbs. I'm talking born and bred, hardcore, Philadelphia ballers.
Here are the top five Philly-born players in this year's NCAA Tournament.
5. Amile Jefferson - Duke
I know, Jefferson hasn't played since December 5th and is out for the season with a foot injury, but the 22-year-old Duke senior forward has been is a leader for the Blue Devils -- on and off-the-court -- and deserves to be on this list. The 2012 McDonald All-American from Friends' Central was averaging 11.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game before his injury.
A key contributor on last year's National Championship team, Jefferson will certainly have a major influence on his teammates, even from the bench.
4. Lamarr Kimble - St. Joe's
Kimble, a 6-foot freshman guard for St. Joe's, is already contributing for the Hawks. The teenage Neumann-Goretti product is averaging about six points and 2.5 assists in 18 minutes per game.
3. Darryl Reynolds - Villanova
Reynolds, at 6-8, 225-pounds, has been a spark-plug for the top-ranked Wildcats this season. The junior forward from Lower Merion High School is arguably Nova's most athletic player, stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis averaging about four points, five rebounds, and almost one block in 18 minutes per game.
2. Jaylen Bond - Temple
Bond, a 6-8, 240 pound junior forward, has been a force for the Owls all season long. A product of Plymouth-Whitemarsh high school, Bond is averaging around 10 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes per game.
1. Ja'Quan Newton - Miami (FL)
Newton, a former top-60 ESPN ranked high school player from Neumann-Goretti, is making an impact for the 25-7 Hurricanes. In just his second season in college basketball, the sophomore guard is averaging 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and almost one steal in 23 minutes per game.
In his team's gutsy five-point loss to No. 4 ranked Virginia in the ACC semi's last week, Newton scored a team-high 19 points in 32 minutes off the bench on 5-7 FG, 9-11 FT shooting.
