Mormons compete in NCAA tournament

Harvard reserve guard Corbin Miller saw little action against Vanderbilt on Thursday, but he still made the box score.

The 6-foot-2 freshman from Sandy, Utah, recorded one rebound and one turnover in the 12th-seeded Crimson's 79-70 loss to the Commodores in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Miller, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, averaged about four points and half a rebound per game for Harvard this year. The Crimson (26-5) won the Ivy League and made the tournament for the first time since 1946. The former Brighton High star has said he will take a break from basketball and serve a two-year LDS mission.

Stilman White is another member of the LDS Church playing in the NCAA tournament. White is a freshman backup point guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels. No. 1-seeded North Carolina defeated No. 16 Vermont in the first round, 77-58, then knocked off No. 8 Creighton, 87-73, to advance to the Sweet 16. White played a total of 13 minutes, scored two points and dished out one assist in both games. When the season is over, White also plans to take a break from basketball and serve a mission.

Jordan Wood, a backup guard for the Montana Grizzlies, played one minute, missed two free throws and committed one personal foul in Wisconsin's 73-49 rout of the Grizzlies in the East Regional. Wood, a senior from Cedar City, Utah, served his LDS mission in Brazil.

The majority of the players on BYU's roster are Latter-day Saints. Two days after making the biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history (25 points) to defeat Iona, the No. 14-seeded Cougars lost to third-seed Marquette, 88-68. Damarcus Harrison, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard from Greenwood, S.C., has announced plans to serve an LDS mission.

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