Jr. NBA alums ready to shine in March Madness

Kyle Filipowski (right) is averaging 17.1 points going into the NCAA Tournament. 

The Jr. NBA, which is the official youth basketball program of the NBA, has plenty of reasons to be proud as their alum will be featured throughout the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.

On the women’s side, USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Kiki Rice have made their teams national title contenders.

Watkins is the second-leading scorer in the country (27 points per game), the national freshman of the year and on several first-team All-American lists.

Rice is averaging 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists for UCLA, which has a 25-6 record and is ranked sixth in the country.

Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski, who averages 17.1 points, and Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, who is pouring in 15.4 points a night as a freshman, are the two headliners from the Jr. NBA in this year’s men’s tournament.

Duke’s Jadyn Donovan, Kansas’ S’Mya Nichols, Stanford’s Courtney Ogden, USC’s Malia Samuels, Arizona’s Jada Williams and Texas A&M Sole’ Williams were also part of the Jr. NBA’s Court of Leaders program.

The Court of Leaders recognizes the on-court and off-court endeavors of exceptional high school players and helps them prepare for success in all aspects of their lives.

The male members of the Court of Leaders participating in March Madness include Illinois’ Amani Hansberry and New Mexico’s Quinton Webb.

Find the full list of Jr. NBA Academy alumni participating in the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament below.

Jr. NBA Alums – Women’s March Madness Watchlist

Jr. NBA Alums – Men’s March Madness Watchlist

*Participated in Jr. NBA Global Championship Regional Qualifier