Check out The Post’s all-area NCAA Tournament team ahead of March Madness 2022:
Jr. C Kofi Cockburn (21.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG), Queens, Illinois
Ranked in the top 12 nationally in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage, there isn’t a better big man in the country than the 7-footer from Christ the King. The Illini’s second-round exit last year was one of the stunners of the tournament, extra motivation for Cockburn in what may be his last chance to reach the Final Four.
Sr. G/F Ron Harper Jr. (15.7 PPG,. 6.0 RPG), Franklin Lakes, N.J., Rutgers
The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, Rutgers’ skilled wing wasn’t even a top-150 prospect coming out of Don Bosco Prep, and has become one of the faces of Steve Pikiell’s masterful rebuilding job. The three-level scorer could become the Scarlet Knights’ first Haggerty Award winner, given to the area’s top player, since Quincy Douby in 2006.
Rutgers forward Ron Harper Jr. (24) shoots over Iowa forward Filip Rebraca. AP/Michael ConroyJr. G Jahvon Quinerly (14.3 PPG, 4.3 APG), Hackensack, N.J., Alabama
Quinerly’s shooting percentages are down, but all of his other numbers — points, rebounds, assists and minutes — are up. The former McDonald’s All-American has blossomed at up-tempo Alabama the last two years after a lost freshman season at Villanova.
Sr. G/F Jared Rhoden (16.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG), Baldwin, N.Y., Seton Hall
The Long Island wing is emblematic of the Pirates: tough, physical and determined. Rhoden has developed from an under-the-radar recruit to one of the best players in the Big East in four years, following the trajectory of past Hall stars like Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Sr. G R.J. Cole (15.8 PPG, 4.1 APG), Union, N.J., UConn
The Huskies’ leader makes them go. A quality defender and floor general, Cole is this team’s engine, and has found the right balance between facilitating and going into takeover mode.
Connecticut’s R.J. Cole (2) and Isaiah Whaley (5) celebrate. AP/Frank Franklin IISecond Team
Fr. G AJ Griffin (10.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG) Duke, White Plains
So. G R.J. Davis (13.3 PPG, 3.4 APG) North Carolina, White Plains
So. C Cliff Omoruyi (11.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG) Rutgers, Roselle, N.J.
So. C Adama Sanogo (14.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG) UConn, Elizabeth, N.J.
So. G Isaiah Wong (15.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG), Miami, Piscataway, N.J.
Isaiah Wong AP/John MinchilloThird Team
Sr. F E.J. Anosike (16.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG), Cal State Fullerton, East Orange, N.J.
Sr. G Peter Kiss (25.1 PPG, 3.3 APG) Bryant, Manhattan
Jr. G Jordan Walker, (20.2 PPG, 4.9 APG) UAB, Port Washington, N.Y.
So. G Kadary Richmond (8.8 PPG, 4.2 APG) Seton Hall, Brooklyn
Fr. G Zakai Zeigler (8.9 PPG, 2.7 APG) Tennessee, Wyandanch, N.Y.
