With NC State sending both a men’s and women’s team to the Final Four for the first time in school history, there will be plenty of North Carolina basketball fans cheering for some former local stars this weekend.
Eleven athletes with ties to the hoop state through high school or former college destinations will compete for a national title appearance in both tournaments. Most of them are homegrown talent for the Wolfpack, but there’s some big names at other Final Four programs as well.
Here’s a rundown of those athletes and where to find them on the biggest stage of college basketball:
Jarin Stevenson (Alabama, Seaforth)
Alabama’s 6-foot-11 freshman, Jarin Stevenson, has emerged as a key piece and an unexpected hero in the Crimson Tide’s Final Four run. Stevenson, a Chapel Hill native, played his high school ball at Seaforth in Pittsboro and was supposed graduate this spring, but he reclassified to the class of 2023 last year for an opportunity to play immediately at Alabama. In the Crimson Tide’s Elite Eight victory over Clemson Saturday, Stevenson made five threes and scored 19 points to help Alabama overcome a 13-point first half deficit and close out the Tigers, 89-82. As of Thursday, Stevenson has averaged 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in his first college season.
DJ Horne (NC State, Trinity Christian, Cary)
NC State guard DJ Horne has made plenty of stops on his way back home to Raleigh, playing two years each at Illinois State and Arizona State before joining the Wolfpack. Horne played at Cary High School and Trinity Christian for his senior year, averaging 12.4 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in his final prep season.
Now, things have come full circle for Horne who’s playing his best basketball for his hometown team. Horne is shooting 45% from the floor and 41% from three this season, while leading the Wolfpack in scoring with a career-high 17.4 points per game. During NC State’s Final Four run, Horne has been just what the Wolfpack needed — a perimeter threat and second option to compliment DJ Burns down low. Horne has put up 16.5 points per game in the tournament, including a 20-point performance in the win over Duke in the Elite Eight.
Saniya Rivers (NC State, Ashley)
Coming out of Ashley High School in Wilmington and rated as the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2021 by ESPN, NC State junior Saniya Rivers started her collegiate career at South Carolina. She joined the Wolfpack in 2022, made an immediate impact off the bench and was named the 2023 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 8.6 points and 2.9 assists per game.
Now in a starter role in the Wolfpack’s backcourt, Rivers’ value to the team has been even greater in the 2023-24 season. Rivers is the team’s second leading scorer (12.7 points per game) behind Aziaha James (16.7 points per game), and she’s tied for second in rebounds per game, averaging just over six boards. She makes a living on the defensive side of the ball, however, leading the team with 74 steals and a second-best 32 blocks this season. In NC State’s Final Four run so far, Rivers has accumulated six steals and six blocks all while scoring in double-digits in each round.
Tristen Newton (UConn, East Carolina)
UConn’s starting guard Tristen Newton is from El Paso, Texas, however, he spent his first three college seasons at ECU. Newton averaged 17.7 points and five assists per game in his final year with the Pirates and transferred to UConn in 2022. A key part of the Huskies’ 2023 title run just a year ago, he’s once again in the Final Four looking to repeat.
In an offense that can look to numerous options and score in many ways, Newton’s scoring and assist numbers have made a huge jump from last season to now, as he’s averaging 15 points (10.4 last year) and 6.1 assists (4.8 last year) per game. During this year’s tournament, Newton has shot 44% from the floor, and he put on a 20-point, 10-assist double-double in the second round against Northwestern.
Other local North Carolina names in this year’s Final Four include (including injured players): Davin Cosby Jr. (Alabama, Word of God Christian Academy), LJ Thomas (NC State, Bull Durham Prep), Breon Pass (NC State, Reidsville), KJ Keatts (NC State, Grace Christian School), Alex Nunnally (NC State, Cary Academy), Jordan Snell (NC State, Panther Creek), Alyssa Lewis (NC State, Hickory Ridge), MJ Rice (NC State, Durham Academy)
