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Few postseasons in sports-both professional and collegiate-can transform a player into a legend like the March Madness of the NCAA tournament. Buzz-beaters. Defensive dominance. Even a flare for the camera, introducing a local to the nation, a Prince of the Cinderella Story.
And within that cultural whirlwind are the greatest scorers in tournament history, shooting stars who took to the court and dismantled the opponent with a barrage of accuracy toward the bucket.
Where did the all-time leading scorers in NCAA tournament history hone their skills at the high school level?
Here’s a look at where each member of the “300-plus Club” attended.
Corliss Williamson, Arkansas
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Williamson ended his Razorbacks career with 303 points in the postseason. Before heading to the SEC program, Williamson was a standout at Russellville High School (Ark.), where he earned All-State honors and a 1992 McDonald’s All-American nod.
Bill Bradley, Princeton
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Bill Bradley is tied with Williamson, having totaled 303 points during his NCAA tournament career. Before joining the Princeton team, the former U.S. senator attended Crystal City High School (Mo.), where he scored over 3,000 points.
Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), UCLA
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Before he was holding things down for UCLA, including a postseason career that ended with 304 points, Kareem (then Lou Alcindor) was one of the greatest high school players of all time. A 7-foot phenom, he dominated during his time with Power Memorial Academy in New York.
Glen Rice, Michigan
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The Wolverines sharp-shooter ended his NCAA tournament career with 308 points, an extension of a successful in-state run in high school, where Rice led the Flint Northwestern team to consecutive Michigan Class A championships.
Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
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The Cincinnati big man ended his run in the tournament with a whopping 324 points, capping off a career many expected after Roberton’s Hall of Fame run at Crispus Attucks High School in Indiana.
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
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Before creating matchup nightmares as a North Carolina Tar Heel, where he ended with 325 pints in the NCAA tourney, Tyler Hansbrough was leading his Poplar Bluff High School (Miss) squad to back-to-back state championships.
Danny Manning, Kansas
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Another name on this list who holds rank as one of the greatest high school basketball players of all time, Danny Manning excelled at both Walter Hines Page High School (N.C.) and Lawrence High School (Kan.), where he won a state title and was named Kansas Player of the Year. He would continue his dominance in Kansas history, scoring 328 for the Jayhawks during the NCAA tournament.
Elvin Hayes, Houston
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“The Big E” was a legend in college basketball, helping lead the Houston Cougars to two Final Fours during his run, which included a record 358 points at the time. His high school dominance was similar, with the 6-9 forward averaging 35 points per game during his time at Rayville in Louisiana.
Christian Laettner, Duke
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Before “The Shot” in the 1992 East regional final with the Duke Blue Devils, which accounted for two of his record 407 points in the NCAA tourney career, Christian Laettner was a star at Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, where he led the team to two state titles.