Projo Sports Blog

By Kate Bramson
Journal staff writer

JOHNSTON, R.I. -- Joseph Jamroz, of Johnston, is gaining a bit of attention as his best guesses for the NCAA college basketball tournament have rocketed him to the top of ESPN's online bracket challenge.

A retired letter carrier who worked for the United States Postal Service in North Providence's Centerdale community for 31 years, he's new to the world of filling out brackets for the college hoops tournament. This is just the third year Jamroz has completed the brackets for ESPN.

In a year when all the teams seeded 1, 2 and 3 have made it to the Sweet Sixteen, he's nailed most of the games that have been played so far.

"I had only two wrong after [the first 32 games] and then on the following two days, 16 games were played, and I got all of them correct," he said today.

He had 35 games predicted correctly in a row -- what he calls "a nice little accomplishment."

He filled out 10 ESPN challenge brackets -- "because they allow 10, and it gives you a better chance of finding success," he said.

One of those brackets is tied with three others in ESPN's top spot -- with 300 points, according to ESPN.com. Jamroz says nine of his brackets appear in the top 156 -- out of 5 million brackets submitted, among them the well-publicized bracket filled out by President Obama.

Jamroz isn't looking for fame, though. He had called a few family members, he said, "and a few friends. I don't want to be boastful."

It was his son, who lives in Florida, who called The Journal Monday night to report his dad's success. When reached at home today, Jamroz said he didn't even know his son had called the paper, which is one of the two sources he used to conduct his research before he filled out his brackets. His other source? ESPN, of course.

 Tags  ESPN Johnston Joseph Jamroz NCAA basketball tournament R.I.

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