8 former Wilmington-area basketball stars who shined during March Madness

It’s March, everybody, and if you’ve been tuned in, you’ll know the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments are in full swing. The tournaments, dubbed March Madness, started on Tuesday, March 17, with the First Four games. For fans of college basketball, the tournaments are the best time of the year, full of hard-fought games, big upset wins and buzzer-beating shots that can decide a team’s fate.

Since the tournament began, some of Wilmington’s best-ever athletes have played huge roles in these games, sometimes even playing a hand in writing basketball history. Let’s take a look back at notable players with Wilmington connections who competed – and won – in March Madness. Clarence Kea Clarence Kea attended New Hanover High School before going on to play college basketball at Lamar University.

In 1979, Kea led Lamar to a first-round upset of Detroit. According to the Lamar University Athletics website, Kea scored 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in that game. The next year, Lamar again made the tournament with Kea, this time notching two upset wins on the team’s way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Kea went on to be drafted by the Dallas Mavericks. Kadeem Allen Kadeem Allen was born in Wilmington and played his senior season at New Hanover High School in 2012. After attending and playing for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, Allen played for the Arizona Wildcats from 2015-17.