Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or "PIT", is the United States' oldest amateur basketball tournament and the only postseason camp conducted for the top NCAA (i.e. college) seniors only.

The tournament is recognized by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and European scouts as a showcase for future professional players.[1] Approximately 200 NBA representatives attend the event with 64 seniors invited to play in one of the 8 teams (8x8 players). The four-day tournament consist of 12 games and has existed since 1953 without interruption.[2]

NBA players who are alumni of the Portsmouth Invitational include Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Stockton, Tim Hardaway, Ben Wallace, Avery Johnson, Jeremy Lin, Rick Barry, Dave Cowens, and Earl Monroe.[3]

In the 1992 tournament UTEP forward Marlon Maxey became the 1st player ever to win the tournament MVP unanimously.

The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-draft camp.[4] Portsmouth has few NBA first-round draft picks. Most of its players are on the fringe and get drafted in the second round or end up in the NBA Development League or play overseas. Six of the 64 players from 2009 were drafted, all in the second round.[5][6]

All games are played at Portsmouth, Virginia.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.insidehoops.com/portsmouth.shtml Retrieved 23 Feb 2007
  2. ↑ http://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/ Retrieved 23 Feb 2007
  3. ↑ http://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/info.php
  4. ↑ http://www.insidehoops.com/portsmouth.shtml and http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1248 Retrieved 23 Feb 2007
  5. ↑ Himmelsbach, Adam (April 11, 2010). "Basketball Grad School for 3 Ivy League Stars". The New York Times. p. SP5. Retrieved November 5, 2010. Portsmouth is not a camp for first-round draft picks. It is a camp for those on the fringe.
  6. ↑ "Portsmouth Invitational Tournament". InsideHoops.com. Retrieved November 5, 2010. The rest often play in the D-League or another American minor league, or head overseas.

External links

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