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Angel Reese goes up for a lay-up against Utah during the sweet 16. (Credit: Louisiana State University Department of Athletics)
BALTIMORE COUNTY - Two Marylanders remain in the NCAA’s March Madness Tournament. LSU Women’s #10, Angel Reese of Baltimore, and UCONN Men’s #24, Jordan Hawkins of Hyattsville.
These two are the only remaining players from Maryland after Former Perry Hall High School student and current University of Miami Hurricanes forward Anthony Walker was knocked out in the final four.
Jordan Hawkins, a 20-year-old Sophomore at the University of Connecticut, was a Consensus top 50 recruit after spending two years at powerhouse program DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville.
Hawkins has been a star for the Huskies, scoring 20 points on 60% three-point shooting in UCONN’s dominant final-four win over Gonzaga. He is the huskie’s most dangerous perimeter player, making an impressive 107 three-pointers this season, more than doubling the team’s second-best shooter’s total.
As a senior at DeMatha, Hawkins averaged 19.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks while shooting .636 overall and .464 from three-point range. He led DeMatha to an 11-0 record and was named 2020-21 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year.
Angel Reese of Baltimore also has been a star for her program. She came to LSU as the top player in the transfer portal after spending two seasons at Maryland. With the Terrapins, Reese led the team to the Sweet 16 in 2022 as their top scorer (17.8 ppg) and top rebounder (10.6 rpg), becoming the first Maryland sophomore to average a double-double since 1975.
Reese has become even more dominant at LSU. This season, she averaged 23.3 points per game on 53% shooting.
In high school, Reese was ranked the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2020 and the No. 1 wing by ESPN. She led Saint Frances to three straight IAAM championships and two conference titles averaging 18 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists per game for her high school career. Reese was named Player of the Year by The Baltimore Sun after her junior and senior seasons and was named to the USA Today First Team.
Reese will face Iowa in the women's final today at 3:30, and Hawkins and the huskies will take on San Diego State on Monday at 9:20 p.m.
