Time to dance

MEN’S BASKETBALL /// NCAA Tournament



Let’s dance.

David Bowie, after all, is never wrong.

Stars with Acorn roots will grace the dance floor of the 68-team NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, which tips off this week in the Indianapolis super bubble.

The San Diego State (23-4 overall) and Syracuse (16-9) opener in the Midwest Region features locals in both huddles.

Derek Morhar, a Calabasas High graduate, is a freshman guard for San Diego State, the Mountain West Conference champ.

Shane Feldman, a freshman guard for Syracuse, starred in basketball and volleyball at Agoura. His older brother, Ky, is a Syracuse grad manager who once reached the Final Four as a player with the Orange.

Paul Hiepler, a senior guard for Abilene Christian, will partake in the madness. Hiepler, who lives in Camarillo, played at Oaks Christian. Southland Conference champion Abilene Christian (23- 4) faces in-state behemoth and Big 12 Conference champion Texas (19-7) in the East Region.

“For guys like Paul Hiepler and Derek Morhar, who were terrific players in the Ventura County area, it’s a once in a lifetime experience playing in March Madness,” said Robert Icart, the former Oaks Christian head coach who guided Hiepler and Morhar in his BTI club. “Both those guys are passionate and bleed their schools’ colors. They’ll tell their kids and grandkids that they played in the NCAA Tournament, which is, I think, the best athletic event in the globe.”

Jaime Jaquez Jr., a 6-foot-6 sophomore wing for UCLA, is the pride of Camarillo.

Jaquez entered the dance averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, and he was recently named to the Pac- 12 Conference second team and all-defensive first team. The Bruins (17-9) and Michigan State (15-12) tip off in a play-in game today for the honor of thumping BYU.

UC Santa Barbara, the Acorn Sports Department’s pick to defeat Creighton and its racist coach in the West Region, also has local flair. Max Cheylov from Calabasas and Kyle MacLean of Westlake, both Marmonte MVPs in high school, are freshman guards with the Gauchos.

Creighton’s racist head coach told his Black players to “stay on the plantation. I can’t have anybody leave the plantation.” He did not lose his job after those comments.

UCSB (22-4), the Big West Conference champion, is a No. 12 seed against cursed No. 5 Creighton (20-8) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Hoosier State.