As college basketball’s March Madness prepares to tip off, several teams feature members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are ready to showcase their skills on the basketball court.
In the men’s NCAA tournament, Brigham Young University, a No. 6 seed, will play either Texas or North Carolina State in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, March 19. Team members who served missions include:
- Richie Saunders, Washington Seattle Mission.
- Dawson Baker, Micronesia Guam Mission.
- Jared McGregor, Washington Spokane Mission.
Saunders and Baker both suffered season-ending injuries during the season.
Utah State University, a No. 9 seed and the Mountain West Conference champs, will match up with No. 8 seed Villanova on Friday, March 20, in San Diego, California.
Aggie junior guard Mason Falslev, the conference player of the year, served in the Arizona Scottsdale and the Brazil Santos missions. His teammate, Drake Allen, served a short time in the Philippines before returning home in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dallin Hall’s No. 3-seed Virginia Cavaliers will face No. 14-seed Wright State on Friday, March 20, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The former BYU guard, from Plain City, Utah, served in the California Fresno Mission.
For No. 13 seed Hawaii, Hunter Erickson, of Provo, Utah, served in the North Carolina Charlotte Mission; Isaac Johnson, of American Fork, Utah, served in the Ohio Cincinnati Mission; and Tanner Cuff, also of American Fork, served in the Kentucky Louisville Mission.
The Rainbow Warriors will take on No. 4 seed Arkansas on Thursday, March 19, in Portland.
Arizona sophomore guard Addison Arnold, of Simi Valley, California, served his mission in Argentina. His Wildcats, the 1-seed in the West Region, open the first round against No. 16 seed Long Island University in San Diego, California, on Friday, March 20.
Tanner Toolson, of Vancouver, Washington, began his college career at BYU before transferring to Utah Valley University and now plays for TCU. His ninth-seed Horned Frogs will face No. 8 Ohio State on Thursday, March 19, in Greenville, South Carolina. Toolson, the son of former BYU star Andy Toolson, served in the Florida Jacksonville Mission.
Another TCU teammate, sophomore center Adam Stewart, of Waller, Texas, served in the France Paris Mission.
Clemson’s Jake Wahlin, a native of Provo, served his mission in Lithuania. His teammate, Carter Welling, of Draper, Utah, served in the New Jersey Morristown Mission. Welling suffered a season-ending injury during the ACC Tournament.
Their No. 8 seed Clemson Tigers will play No. 9 Iowa on Friday, March 19, in Tampa, Florida.
Collin Chandler, of Farmington, Utah, served his mission in West Africa’s Sierra Leone and in London, England. His No. 7 seed Kentucky Wildcats, led by former BYU coach Mark Pope, will open the tournament against No. 10 Santa Clara on Friday, March 19, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Senior forward Jaxon Kohler, of American Fork, is a Latter-day Saint who plays for Michigan State. The No. 3-seeded Spartans play No. 14 North Dakota State in the first round in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday, March 19.
Utah Valley received a No. 4 seed in the National Invitation Tournament and will host George Washington on Wednesday, March 18, in the tournament’s first round. UVU players who served missions include:
- Isaac Hawkins, Puerto Rico San Juan Mission.
- Jackson Holcombe, California Sacramento Mission.
- Braden Housley, Texas Fort Worth Mission.
- Trevan Leonhardt, who served in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission and in Chile.
- Tyler Medaris, who served in Houston, Texas, and in Peru.
- A.J. Riggs, England Leeds Mission.
- Jaxson Roberts, Spain Madrid South Mission.
- Tyler Weaver, Brazil Porto Alegre Mission.
- Hayden Welling, Arizona Gilbert Mission.
The BYU women’s basketball team is headed to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament where the Cougars will host Alabama A&M in the first round on Thursday, March 18.
Editor’s Note: Since this article was originally published, the Church News became aware of several additional basketball team members who served missions and they have been added to the list.
