2019 NCAA Tournament: Lesser known players who will turn into national stars
By Brian Rauf
The NCAA Tournament produces breakout stars on an annual basis. Here are some unknown players ready to take the country by storm.
Cinderellas are one of the very best things about March Madness, but there are individual players who annually make the most out of playing on the sport’s biggest stage to become major stars.
It is where Stephen Curry famously broke onto the scene and became a household name. Kemba Walker became, well, Kemba Walker. Dwyane Wade became a star when he led Marquette to the Final Four. Carmelo Anthony also did when he won a national title at Syracuse. Christian Laettner became the most hated man in America for four years because of his play in the Big Dance. Kris Jenkins became immortalized with one shot.
It’s not that college basketball doesn’t have stars. Everyone already knows who Zion Williamson is (ESPN has made sure of that) and that he has two teammates in R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish who will also be top five picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Murray State’s Ja Morant became a viral sensation this year. And, of course, there are experienced vets like Grant Williams, Cassius Winston, and Ethan Happ.
But tournament stardom is much different from regular stardom. The entire country is watching during these next three weeks and that can turn a previously unknown name into someone every basketball fan knows.
Who might make that kind of leap this year? Here are six relatively unknown players who can turn into superstars with a breakout tournament.