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Even more RI connections to this year's NCAA men's and women's tournaments

Bill Koch, Providence Journal
·3 min read

We’ve reached the second weekend of March Madness.

Cinderella has largely been pushed to the side. The men’s and women’s fields both feature some elite firepower. Two wins separate programs from Final Four berths, and there are still some folks with local ties whom you can get behind.

We published a version of this last week and more than a few email contacts came through to remind us of a few people we might have missed. We’ll certainly take those into consideration.

The action starts again Thursday night. Get ready. This is the best time of the season.

Connecticut Huskies staff

Brooklyn now belongs to the Huskies, and Boston could be next. That’s where the defending national champions will take the floor for a title game rematch with San Diego State at 7:39 p.m. Thursday

UConn hammered Stetson and Northwestern on the opening weekend at Barclays Center. The Aztecs could be next at TD Garden — Dan Hurley, Luke Murray and Tom Moore all count the University of Rhode Island as a previous stop. Support staff members Andre Berry and Malik Martin both played with the Rams during their undergraduate days.

Malik Martin in action for URI in 2023. He's now on UConn coach Dan Hurley's support staff.
Malik Martin in action for URI in 2023. He's now on UConn coach Dan Hurley's support staff.

Paxson Wojcik, North Carolina

The transfer from Loyola Chicago and Brown graduate is a long way from the East Side. Wojcik is flying high with the No. 1 seed in the West Region and meets Alabama in a 9:39 p.m. tip Thursday.

His bench role with the Tar Heels is noteworthy enough. Wojcik has added some publicity over the last couple of weeks through name, image and likeness channels. He’s one of several players in the field signed with Skims, the clothing brand founded by Kim Kardashian.

Paxson Wojcik in action for Brown in a 2023 game vs. Harvard. Wojcik now suits up for North Carolina.
Paxson Wojcik in action for Brown in a 2023 game vs. Harvard. Wojcik now suits up for North Carolina.

Tyler Kolek, Marquette

The Cumberland native missed six straight games due to an oblique injury before returning in time for March Madness. He hasn’t skipped a beat — dominant performances against Western Kentucky and Colorado helped the Golden Eagles reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. They tip with North Carolina State in Dallas at 7:09 p.m. Friday.

Donovan Theme, Marquette

Theme left Providence early for the prep ranks and played his college basketball at Wofford. He’s in his second year as a support staff member with the Golden Eagles and is working on an advanced degree at the school. Theme’s brother, Lamonte Thomas, is a longtime overseas professional and community fundraiser in their native city.

Lindsay Gottlieb, USC

Gottlieb guides a No. 1 seed with the Trojans and mentors one of the game’s young stars in Los Angeles native JuJu Watkins. She’s a Brown graduate in her third year with USC and is grouped in a Portland bracket with a trio of perennial powers. Baylor is up next at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and the winner of Connecticut and Duke would await in the Elite Eight.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a Brown graduate, signals to her team during a game against Oregon in February.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a Brown graduate, signals to her team during a game against Oregon in February.

Gottlieb played with the Bears in the late 1990s and was previously a head coach at the University of California at Santa Barbara and at California. She spent time on staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers after her stint with the Golden Bears and has posted two straight 20-win seasons with the Trojans after taking over in 2021-22.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island connections to NCAA men's and women's tournaments