Every March the NCAA basketball tournament creates a new set of Cinderella-style folk heroes.
RJ Hunter, CJ McCollum, and Stephen Curry became March Madness legends by leading their small schools to dramatic tournament upsets. This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
John Poulakidas leads Yale Basketball to Cinderella win
In 2024, Neuqua Valley graduate John Poulakidas played a major part in one of those stunning Cinderella stories. He led 13-seeded Yale to a momentous win over 4-seeded Auburn.
“The biggest thing for us was we had to believe at first, Auburn was a great team,” said Yale basketball player, John Poulakidas. “I think at the time they were a four seed, but they were a consensus top ten team in the country.”
The former Wildcat scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-9 from three-point range in the 78-76 win over the SEC Tournament Champions. Poulakidas’s clutch step-back three with two minutes remaining gave Yale the lead, which the team never relinquished.
“We definitely went into that week with preparation, (and) with a lot of focus, but there’s almost like a sense of freedom in being the underdog, because, you know, there’s no pressure,” Poulakidas added. “You just got to go out there, be yourself and have some fun.”
Back-to-back games with clutch three-point baskets
It was a fun and riveting March for the Yale Bulldogs, who nearly missed out on making the dance altogether. They trailed by six in the final 30 seconds to Brown in the Ivy League Championship, before Poulakidas hit a leaning three to bring it within one. The Bulldogs would win it on a buzzer-beater the next time down the court, securing a spot in the NCAA tournament. – footage/ make shorter and personal.
“That two-week span was just ridiculous,” said Poulakidas. “We were 30 seconds away from our season being over and in the span of a minute, the game had completely flipped to our side.”
“As a competitor, you work for those feelings and those moments, especially in college sports,” Poulakidas added. “I mean, there’s nothing greater than winning the Ivy League championship and going to March Madness, let alone winning a game in March Madness.”
That’s the beauty of March in college basketball. It’s rarely predictable and any player from any team can become a household name for a weekend.
Poulakidas’s development into one of the best wings in the NCAA
Poulakidas has developed into one of the top wing-positional players in the NCAA. He was one of 14 D1 athletes invited to the Jayson Tatum Elite Camp over the summer. Every season, the Naperville native has averaged more points than the last, while also improving on field goal percentage.
At every stage of his basketball career, Poulakidas has never seemed fazed or intimated. Whether it’s leading Yale to a March Madness upset or scoring a single-game record of 49 points for Neuqua Valley.
“A lot of that just goes into the work I put in (daily),” said Poulakidas. “I would say in high school I didn’t work as hard as I thought I did and I think every high school athlete can attest to this. I thought I was a little bit better than I actually was in high school, and it was kind of a wake-up call when I got here.”
Career at Neuqua Valley High School and Poulakidas’s value of academics
Poulakidas did leave Neuqua Valley as the program’s all-time leading scorer, even with his senior season being limited to ten games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The record was recently surpassed by Luke Kincade, who is now a freshman at William & Mary.
During his junior season at Neuqua, he helped the Wildcats to a regional title just days before the pandemic shut down the IHSA Tournament. Poulakidas says that both his coaching and education at Neuqua Valley have helped get him to where he is now.
“Coach Todd did such a great job of holding me accountable,” said Poulakidas. “Because I think he saw my potential before I saw it in myself.”
“Also, academically, Neuqua was a great school,” said Poulakidas. “I think (they) put me in a great position so where I could fit into a university like this fairly seamlessly just because there was no slap in the face as far as, ‘Oh, man, you know, this is night and day from high school.’”
Poulakidas was offered to play in the power-five but Yale was about more than playing basketball
The Neuqua alum had offers to play at power five conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12. Playing at Yale provides the chance to play high-level competitive basketball at one of the top universities in the world.
“At the time, the biggest thing for me was understanding the importance of my college degree,” said Poulakidas. “That goes back to what my parents have instilled in me since I was very young. Just the importance of getting my degree, (and) going to a great academic school.”
This season has only just begun, and Poulakidas continues to impress on the court. As of November 18, Yale holds a 2-3 record, with two losses coming to Purdue and Minnesota. Poulakidas is averaging 20.4 points per game, third best in the conference, with a 46% clip from the field, and a 44% mark from three.
Poulakidas is majoring in political science and has thought about attending law school in the future. Once John Poulakidas graduates, the Yale Bulldog will fully focus on turning pro.
“The NBA (has) been my biggest dream since I was a kid, and that is definitely something I’ve had my sights set on,” said Poulakidas. “But, I’m looking forward to finishing off with a great senior year and letting the cards lie where they may.”
Photo and Video Courtesy: Yale Athletics
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