By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The NCAA Division I basketball season opens Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Notre Dame takes on Villanova in the Eternal City Tipoff.

Tipoff is at 8:30 a.m. on Fox if you are tuning in from San Antonio.

Teams around the nation will play nonconference schedules for a couple of months, followed by league play running through early March. Followed, naturally, by the now 76-team NCAA tournament.

Before the first ball bounces on the hardwood, I wanted to take a minute to spotlight D-I men’s players from San Antonio area high schools.

If I’ve missed anybody, I’ll updated the list when the information comes to light.

But, for now, here’s my list:

NCAA Division I men from San Antonio

Donovan Criss, UTEP, 6-5 freshman guard from Brennan HS

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Minnesota, 6-8 senior forward from Warren HS, previously at Colorado State, Arkansas-Little Rock

Kendrick De Luna, Cal-State Fullerton, a 6-10 senior forward from TMI Episcopal

Damarion Dennis, Texas Tech, 6-1 junior guard from Veterans Memorial, transfer from Wyoming, previously at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Christian Green, Stephen F. Austin, 6-6 senior guard/forward from Veterans Memorial HS, previously, Trinity University

Amare Guerra, Merrimack College, Mass., 5-10 freshman guard from Antonian Prep

Kaden Gumbs, Texas State, 6-2 senior guard from San Marcos HS

Latrell Hoover, Texas Tech, 6-11 redshirt freshman forward from Clemens HS

Vincent Iwuchukwu, Georgetown, 7-1 senior center, formerly of Cole HS

Austin Nunez, LSU, 6-2 senior guard from Wagner HS, transfer from UTSA, previously at Arizona State, Mississippi

Aidan Richard, Holy Cross, 6-7 junior forward from Reagan HS

Delano Tarpley, UTEP, 6-11 freshman center from Brennan HS

Isaiah Ward, UTEP, 6-6 freshman forward from Brennan HS

Elijah Williams, Baylor, 6-5 freshman forward from TMI Episcopal

(Local athletes who played in high school outside the San Antonio area)

Zach Clemence, Texas A&M, 6-11 graduate student forward, native San Antonian from Sunrise Academy, Kan.; previously at Kansas University

Editors’ note: Look for the list of athletes from San Antonio in NCAA Division I women’s hoops on Saturday.