Few high school basketball leagues can claim both the heritage and present level of excellence in both genders as the Philadelphia Catholic League.
The PCL will showcase a dozen athletes and head coaches in the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The men’s tournament begins March 17, and women’s play begins the following day.
They include arguably the greatest coach in the history of women’s basketball going after a 13th NCAA championship, a men’s coach becoming only the fifth to lead five different men’s Division I programs to the NCAA Tournament, and a woman who scored more points in one game this season than any other player.
The following is a list of all athletes and head coaches competing in the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments who are graduates of Philadelphia Catholic League high schools.
Men’s basketball:
Alabama Crimson Tide: Fourth seed, Midwest region
First round game vs. (13) Hofstra on March 20 in Tampa, Florida
Jalil Bethea, Guard — Archbishop Wood High School 2024
Bethea, a 6-5 sophomore, averaged 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds for the Crimson Tide during the 2025-26 regular season. His best game came Dec. 7 against UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) with 21 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes.
He was named the 2024 Pennsylvania Player of the Year and was picked as a high school All-American that year.
Penn Quakers: 14th seed, South region
First round game vs. (3) Illinois on March 19 in Greenville, South Carolina
Fran McCaffery, Head Coach — La Salle College High School 1977
McCaffery leads his hometown team and collegiate alma mater into the NCAA tournament for the first time as their head coach. He is leading his fifth team to the men’s Big Dance, as he led Lehigh University (1988), UNC-Greensboro (2001), Siena (2008-10) and Iowa (2014-16, 2019, 2021-23) to the tournament. Only four other coaches have done the same: Steve Alford, Lon Kruger, Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith.
He was chosen All-City and All-PCL for the La Salle College High School Explorers in his senior year.
VCU Rams: 11th seed, South region
First round game vs. (6) North Carolina on March 19 in Greenville, South Carolina
Phil Martelli Jr., Head Coach — St. Joseph’s Preparatory School 1999
Martelli leads the Rams to the NCAA men’s tournament in his first year as VCU head coach. He is coaching in the tourney for the second consecutive season, as he directed the Bryant University Bulldogs to the 2024-25 men’s tourney.
His time at the Prep preceded his tenure with the St. Joseph’s University Hawks, where he was a team co-captain with Jameer Nelson in 2003 and helped the Hawks to the 2001 and 2003 NCAA men’s tournaments.
Women’s basketball:
Connecticut Huskies: First seed, Fort Worth region
First round game vs. (16) UTSA on March 21 in Storrs, Connecticut
Geno Auriemma, Head Coach — Bishop Kenrick High School 1972
The 71-year head coach at UConn is looking for a baker’s dozen of NCAA women’s basketball titles as a head coach. He has directed the Huskies to 25 Final Fours and is widely acclaimed as the greatest ever to coach a women’s basketball team, with perhaps legendary Tennessee Volunteers coach Pat Summitt as his only current competition.
His high school boys’ basketball career as a player at Bishop Kenrick didn’t reach the same success, though his team went 12-4 in his junior year and traveled to the Palestra for the North Division semifinals in 1971. The girls’ teams he coached in 1977 and 1978 at Bishop McDevitt never made the championship round, but he assisted Phil Martelli Sr. on Bishop Kenrick’s boys’ team that made the 1980 PCL final.
Fairfield Stags: 11th seed, Fort Worth region
First round game vs. (6) Notre Dame on March 21 in Columbus, Ohio
Sydni Scott, Guard — Cardinal O’Hara High School 2022
The 5-8 senior has averaged 4.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest for the Stags, topping out at 12 points twice, once on Jan. 8 at St. Peter’s University and at home Feb. 19 against SPU.
She won two PIAA state championships and was named first-team All-State as a senior and first-team All-Catholic for four years at O’Hara.
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights: 15th seed, Sacramento region
First-round game vs. (2) Iowa on March 21 in Iowa City, Iowa
Ava Renninger, Guard — Archbishop Wood High School 2024
The 5-6 sophomore has put up 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 2025-26. She had a 22-point day Nov. 10 against Bloomfield College and 21 points against Le Moyne College in the NEC semifinals.
Renninger was a two-time All-State and two-time All-Catholic selection and the 2025 PIAA 5A Player of the year at Wood.
James Madison Dukes: 12th seed, Fort Worth region
First round game vs. (5) Kentucky on March 21 in Morgantown, West Virginia
Grace McDonough, Forward — Lansdale Catholic High School 2025
A 6-2 freshman, she delivered 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest for the Dukes in 2025-26. Her best scoring day came Feb. 14 at Appalachian State with a 14-point night.
She was named first-team All-Catholic as a junior and helped Lansdale Catholic to the PIAA Class 4A final.
Richmond Spiders: 11th seed, Sacramento region
“First Four” game vs. (11) Nebraska on March 20 in Durham, North Carolina
Maggie Doogan, Forward — Cardinal O’Hara High School 2022
The 2024-25 Atlantic 10 women’s basketball player of the year, the 6-2 senior has averaged 21 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Spiders. She put up 48 points against Davidson, the highest single-game scoring total of any NCAA Division I women’s player this year.
Doogan was named a PIAA 5A First-Team All-State and a two-time All-Catholic First-Team member at Cardinal O’Hara, leading the Lions to two PIAA 5A state championships and the 2022 PCL title.
Villanova Wildcats: 10th seed, Sacramento region
First round game vs. (7) Texas Tech on March 20 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Ryanne Allen, Guard — Archbishop Wood High School 2022
Maggie Grant, Guard — Archbishop Carroll High School 2022
Annie Welde, Forward — Cardinal O’Hara High School 2022
Denise Dillon, Head Coach — Cardinal O’Hara High School 1992
Allen, a 6-1 senior, has averaged 7.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this year. She put up 19 points Dec. 19 against Seton Hall. The former Pennsylvania player of the year, PCL MVP and All-Catholic first-team member led Wood to the 2021 PCL crown.
Grant, a 6-0 senior, saw nine total games of action in her career at Villanova, and was second-team All-Catholic her senior year at Carroll.
Welde, also a 6-0 senior, saw time on the court in 12 games in 2025-26, hitting a three-pointer in a Nov. 22 Big Five matchup against Temple. She was second-team All-Catholic and helped the Lions to two state titles.
Dillon, a Villanova alum, takes the Wildcats to the tournament in her sixth year as head coach. This year marks her third NCAA tourney at Villanova, previously leading them to berths in 2022 and 2023, and taking Drexel to the tournament in 2009. She won two PCL titles with O’Hara, in 1991 and 1992.
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