Area players in the Big Dance

There are several St. Louis area basketball players who will participating in this week’s NCAA Tournament. Sophomore Jared Swopshire (pictured, Fort Zumwalt West) is a starting forward for the University of Louisville, which is the No. 9 seed in the South Regional. Junior forward Alex Tyus (Hazelwood Central) is a starting forward for the University of Florida, which is the No. 10 seed in the West Regional. Tyus is among the Gators’ leading scorers and rebounders this season.

  Redshirt freshman guard Anthony James (Normandy) is a reserve guard for Northern Iowa, which won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and postseason tournament titles. James enjoyed an excellent MVC Tournament in his home town of St. Louis. UNI is the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Regional.

  Junior center Josh Harrellson (St. Charles High) is a reserve for the powerful Kentucky Wildcats team that is the No. 1 seed in the East Regional.

  Freshman Bryant Allen (Maplewood) is a reserve guard for the University of Minnesota, which is the No. 11 seed in the West Regional. Allen joined the basketball team in February after playing wide receiver for the Golden Gophers football team that played in a bowl game this season.

  Junior Lucas O’Rear of nearby Nashville, Ill. is the ace sixth man of the Northern Iowa Panthers. He was voted the Sixth Man of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference for the second consecutive year.

  Also, former Saint Louis University coaches Lorenzo Romar and Randy Bennett have led their respective teams to the NCAA Tournament. Romar, who was the head coach at SLU from 2000-2002, has his Washington Huskies in the NCAA field after winning the Pac 10 Tournament. Bennett, who was Romar’s top assistant at SLU, led St. Mary’s to the NCAA Tournament after winning the West Coast Conference Tournament with a convincing victory over Gonzaga. St. Mary’s is the No. 10 seed in the South Regional.

  Good luck to all of these gentlemen in their pursuit of their “One Shining Moment.”