Here are 11 names Ozarks basketball fans will recognize in the 2023 NCAA Tournament

Someday, southwest Missouri might have a team make its return to the NCAA Tournament but that year isn't this year. The 2023 NCAA Tournament, however, will still have plenty of familiar faces who local basketball fans can take pride in when they step onto the court over the next few weeks.

Here are some names who have come through the Ozarks in recent years and who they'll be playing or coaching for during March Madness.

Anton Brookshire, Iona — Kickapoo

One of the recent greats to come through southwest Missouri will get out his dancing shoes with Rick Pitino at Iona.

The 2021 state champion at Kickapoo will likely get some time with the Gaels during their run. The sophomore averaged 4.2 points and 9.6 minutes per appearance. He was a 43% shooter on limited attempts this season but had a more routine role than he had as a freshman at Mizzou last season.

Brookshire was one of the great players to come through a proud Kickapoo program. He averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 assists per game as a senior while leading one of the most talented teams in the area's history to a state title. He was the News-Leader's 2021 player of the year.

Iona begins its tournament against four-seed UConn on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Albany, New York.

Trevon Brazile, Arkansas — Kickapoo and Parkview

Brazile was one of the more exciting players in the nation for the first few weeks until an unfortunate knee injury that ended his season just nine games in.

The former Kickapoo and Parkview standout averaged 11.8 points and six rebounds per game when he was on the court. With him in the lineup, the Hogs looked like one of the best teams in the nation but they fell off from being one of the elite.

Arkansas will begin its NCAA Tournament against Illinois on Thursday at 12:40 p.m. in Des Moines.

Jordan Walsh, Arkansas — Link Academy

One player from the area who will be in the lineup will be Walsh who helped lead Link Academy to a national runner-up finish. He was a five-star prospect and a McDonald's All-American while playing his senior year in Branson.

Walsh has appeared in 22 games for the Razorbacks this season and is averaging 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He has been mocked as a potential NBA Draft pick in this upcoming draft.

Julian Phillips, Tennessee — Link Academy

Southwest Missouri hosted a second McDonald's All-American in Branson with Phillips also standing out for Link Academy. He was a five-star and the No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2022 and was the Lions' top scorer last season.

Phillips could be drafted after this season after earning SEC All-Freshman honors. He's started in 25 of his 29 appearances and is averaging nine points and five boards per game. Tennessee will play Louisiana in the first round on Thursday at 8:40 p.m. in Orlando.

Isiaih Mosley, Mizzou — Former Missouri State basketball player

Perhaps the most gifted scorer in Missouri State basketball history moved home to Columbia where his team made the NCAA Tournament.

Mosley's had a strange year which has seen him in the rotation for stretches but there have been a few times throughout the season when he hasn't been with the team for unspecified reasons. He hasn't played in a game since Feb. 4 and he's only made three starts this year when he was regarded as one of the top transfers in the country last offseason.

Mosley played in 14 games this season for the Tigers and he averaged 9.6 points per appearance. He shot 46.3% from the floor and 30.6% from deep. Mizzou will play Utah State on Thursday at 12:40 p.m. in Sacramento, California.

Dajuan Harris, Kansas — Former Missouri State signee

Maybe the biggest "what if?" question from the five years of the Dana Ford era. Harris was once signed to play at Missouri State until he was released over the summer prior to his freshman year. He then landed at Kansas where he became a national championship-winning starting point guard.

Harris was recently named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He's been one of the top players in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio since his sophomore year. He's started every game for the Jayhawks this season and is averaging 8.8 points with 208 assists and just 54 turnovers.

Kansas opens its tournament on Thursday at 1 p.m. against Howard in Des Moines.

Steve Alford, Nevada — Former Missouri State head coach

Alford's tournament appearance this week will mark his 10th since taking Missouri State to the NCAA Tournament in 1999. The Bears, of course, have not made it since.

For the first time since taking over the WolfPack, Alford has them in the tournament after a 22-10 year. He's been there four seasons since he and UCLA split ways in 2019.

Nevada opens in a First Four matchup against Arizona State on Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio.

Paul Lusk, Purdue — Former Missouri State head coach

Lusk didn't have much success while leading Missouri State but he has been a part of some very good coaching staffs since he was fired by Missouri State. He's going to have an opportunity to go on a deep postseason run with one of the top programs in the nation.

Lusk is in his second season as an assistant for the Boilermakers which enter the tournament as a one-seed in the East Region. They will play the winner of a First Four matchup between Fairleigh Dickinson and Texas Southern in the first round.

Lusk's biography on Purdue's website credits him for the development of Zach Edey who was recently named as Sporting News' National Player of the Year.

Rodney Perry, Kansas State — Former Missouri State player, Link Academy head coach

Perry, who guided Link Academy to a national championship appearance in its inaugural year as a program and a former standout on Missouri State's basketball team, will be an assistant for Kansas State during the NCAA Tournament.

Perry is an assistant under first-year head coach Jerome Tang. The Wildcats went 23-9 this season and earned a three-seed. They'll play Montana State on Friday at 8:40 p.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Perry helped lead Missouri State to the 1992 NCAA Tournament under the legendary Charlie Spoonhour. He was a co-captain at MSU for an NIT team that was coached by Mark Bernsen.

Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State — Former Missouri State assistant coach

A former assistant at Missouri State under Lusk, Korn is the head coach at SEMO and he has the Redhawks in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

Korn has been the head coach at SEMO for three seasons. In his second year, he led the Redhawks to their first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinal appearance in 17 years. His team went 19-16 this season and won an overtime thriller over Tennessee Tech to make the dance.

Korn will lead the Redhawks into the First Four on Tuesday in a 5:40 p.m. game against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in Dayton, Ohio.

Keith Pickens, Southeast Missouri State — Former Missouri State player and assistant coach

A former fan-favorite on the court and another former Lusk assistant, Pickens is on Korn's staff at SEMO and will get to dance this week.

Pickens has been credited as a good recruiter during his time with Missouri State and with SEMO. He's helped the SEMO programs take steps each year toward getting into the tournament as Ohio Valley champs.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield area names in 2023 NCAA Basketball Tournament