Local alumni get in on hoops 'Madness'

A look at basketball alumni from West and Southwest Orange who played in the NCAA Tournament and/or had strong seasons with their respective college programs.

By Steven Ryzewski
| 9:30 a.m. March 21, 2016

Olympia alumnus Marc-Eddy Norelia at FGCU. Courtesy Rick De Paiva.

Sports

The action of “The Big Dance" has arrived, having begun March 17, and there local alumni who were a part of the "Madness."

To celebrate the occasion, the Windermere Observer and West Orange Times & Observer are taking a look at some of the alumni of prep programs it covers that are participating in their respective NCAA Tournaments at the Division I, II or III level.

Olympia alumnus Marc-Eddy Norelia at FGCU. Courtesy Linwood Ferguson.

Highlighting the local alumni is former Olympia standout Marc-Eddy Norelia, whose Florida Gulf Coast Eagles won in overtime in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game against Stetson to make the field of 68 for the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Norelia had a banner year in his redshirt-junior campaign, being named to the all-conference first team and earning Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP honors. Norelia shot just under 54% from the field this season, averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 9.2 rebounds per game.

FGCU defeated Fairleigh-Dickinson March 15 in the “First Four” round of play before losing to North Carolina March 18.

Norelia played his final season for the Titans in 2011-12, and a senior teammate of his, Trey Griseck, also had a big year. Griseck, a senior for Saint Leo, helped key a run by the Lions to the NCAA Division II Tournament and scored a career-high 25 points against Rollins Feb. 24.

Olympia alumnus Trey Griseck at Saint Leo. Courtesy Saint Leo Athletics.

Saint Leo fell in the Regional Quarterfinals to Alabama-Huntsville.

Two teammates from the dynastic run for the Dr. Phillips girls basketball team took the floor in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament.

One, Hannah Schaible, is a junior for George Washington, which fell to Kansas State. Schaible averaged 10.4 points and six rebounds per game this season and was named the Atlantic-10’s Player of the Week Feb. 29.

The other, Matea Britvar, is a sophomore for St. Bonaventure. A solid role player for the Bonnies, Britvar has averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 30 appearances off the bench this season.

There have also been local alumni who played well for college teams that did not make the tournament.

West Orange alumnus Quinton Forrest at Bethune-Cookman. Courtesy B-CU Sports Information.

Quinton Forrest, who graduated from West Orange last spring, did not take long to make himself at home at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.

The true freshman for the Wildcats (14-18) made the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s All-Rookie Team and appeared in 29 games, starting 11 this season. Forrest averaged 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds this season, scored in double figures eight times and was recognized as the conference’s Rookie of the Week three times.

Another former Warrior, Jaylon Bell, was named the player of the year in his conference after leading his St. Vincent Bearcats to a 22-7 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

West Orange alumnus Jaylon Bell at Saint Vincent. Courtesy Saint Vincent Athletics.

Bell averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game to pair with 4.3 assists per contest as a senior for the small private school in Pennsylvania, earning him the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Year award and a spot on the d3hoops.com Great Lakes All-Region Team.

Erik McCree, a junior for Louisiana Tech, averaged 16.5 points per game and 7.4 rebounds, helping his team to a 23-9 mark. For his strong play, the former star for the Warriors was named to the Conference USA Second Team.

Ocoee alumnus Vaughn McCall was named the Peach Belt Conference’s Co-Freshman of the Year after a stellar rookie campaign for Flagler College. McCall made an instant impact in his first season at Flagler, finishing second on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game and appearing in all 28 games for the Saints (8-20), leading the team in scoring on seven occasions.

Rutgers true freshman and Dr. Phillips alumnus Jonathan Laurent had a solid first season as a Division I player, scoring 8.1 points per game to go along with his 5.1 rebounds per game.

Finally, a Windermere native who attended The First Academy has made an impact in his freshman season at Covenant College. Bailey Spragg shot 48% from the floor for the Scots, averaging 6.9 points per game, and was named to the USA South All-Tournament Team and was the conference’s Rookie of the Week for the week of Jan. 18 to 25.

Spragg scored 14 points for the Scots in a win in the USA South Championship Game. Covenant later lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].