March Madness was always a big deal in the Hurley household in Fonthill.

“It is one of my favourite times of the year and my favourite sporting event in the world, for sure,” T.J. Hurley said.

Father Mike Hurley annually runs a large bracket pool and son T.J. would fill out his bracket and intensely follow the tournament with one eye on the games and the other on his bracket.

“My dad has always been a North Carolina guy and I kind of grew up in a North Carolina house so I have alway been a fan,”  T.J. said. “Now the whole house is Vermont.”

That switch in allegiance to the Vermont Catamounts from the North Carolina Tar Heels is the result of the 18-year-old Fonthill resident signing with the NCAA Division 1 school last year.

The Hurley household won’t be glued to its television set in Fonthill when the tournament kicks off Thursday. Instead, the Hurleys and a handful of friends will be in Columbus, Ohio, watching T.J. and his teammates take on heavily favoured Marquette in the opening round of March Madness. Vermont is seeded 15th in the East Region and Marquette is seeded second.

“It is a dream come true for me. I always remember watching the tournament growing up and to be where those guys I watched are is surreal,” Hurley said.

Getting to share the moment in person with family and friends will make the games even more memorable.

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