Inside Hoops - PIT Results

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Thanks to Joe S.:

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
     	
By InsideHoops.com / April 9, 2004 
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.) showcases 64 of the top college basketball seniors in front of NBA media, scouts, general managers and fans. The event is always in Portsmouth, Virginia, and this year's edition runs from April 7 through April 10. 

Portsmouth has been running every year since 1953. It's a four-day tournament, with eight teams of eight players each. The P.I.T. is the only post-NCAA-season event prior to the Chicago Draft Camp. 

For this year's players with stats, all on one page, click here. 

April 7, 2004 P.I.T. Results: 

The highlights of day one were the athletic ability and offensive skills of Michel Morandais, and the unorthodox yet extremely effective shooting style and range of Jaeson Maravich. 

Some of the NBA people in attendance included Larry Bird, Jerry West, Kevin McHale, Brian Shaw. B.J. Armstrong, George Karl and Danny Ferry. The crowd was packed with agents. Fans were annoyed that Bird refused to speak to any of them, not even a quick hello. As if he couldn't see them standing in front of him. 

In the NBA-only reception room (no media allowed), an InsideHoops.com spy tells us that Larry Bird and Jerry West sat down together and caught up on basketball life, mostly discussing college basketball and some of the players they were watching in Portsmouth. 

InsideHoops.com met with UConn guard Taliek Brown for an exclusive interview. Read it. 

April 7 Games: 

Beach Barton Ford 90, Portsmouth Sports Club 76
Michel Morandais put on a show, shooting 7-of-12 for 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. Andre Barrett had 11 points and eight assists. Brian Boddicker scored 16, Marcus Douthit added 14 points and eight rebounds. Julius Page had a nice complete game with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists. For Portsmouth Sports Club, Nate Williams had 24 points (10-of-15 shooting) and nine rebounds, Luis Flores hit 3-of-4 from three-point range and totalled 16 points, and Jamar Smith added 12. Darius Rice hit the boards, grabbing 10, but only shot 2-of-12. See box score. 

Tidewater Sealants 80, Holiday Inn Portsmouth 74
Tidewater had balanced scoring, with Jaeson Maravich, Timmy Bowers, Spencer Ross, Bryant Matthews and Shawnson Johnson all scoring between 10 and 16 points. Corey Violette shot 1-of-10 for three points but grabbed 10 rebounds. Maravich, the son of the late Pistol Pete Maravich, dazzled the crowd with his effortless three-point shooting going a perfect 3-of-3 with overall shooting of 5-of-7 for his 16 points. For Holiday Inn Portsmouth, Demon Brown scored 16 with four rebounds, Luke Whitehead added 12, and Tom Timmermans had 11. The team rebounded and assisted pretty evenly. See box score. 

April 8, 2004 P.I.T. Results: 

In the second day of the P.I.T., the action picked up and games got more intense. Day one didn't feature particularly interesting basketball. But as players realized it's now or never, the games got much better to watch. Specifically, games two and three. 

The crowd setup is as follows: there's a separate NBA section for general managers, scouts and the like. Some media are courtside, while others are in regular seats, sitting anywhere they want. The games are being played in a large high school gym, so no matter where you sit, the view is fine. Mixed in with the media and basketball fans in the regular seats are tons of agents, most of whom represent guys hoping to break into the NBA. Most of the players they represent will have careers overseas, or in lesser American leagues like the CBA or USBL. 

There's nothing to do in Portsmouth, Virginia, by the way. No great places to hike, sight-see or explore. Unless you like to hang out in fast food joints, in which case you're in heaven. 

April 8 Games: 

Holiday Inn Portsmouth 89, Portsmouth Sports Club 85 
Luke Whithead had 18 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Mouton, Tom Timmermans, Demon Brown and Jaron Brown all scored in double figures. For Sports Club, Luis Flores had 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Cliff Hawkins, Nate Williams, Nick Jacobson and Jamar Smith also scored in double figures. Justin Davis snatched nine rebounds. See box score. 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard 104, Sales Systems 71 
Although this game wasn't close, it was the first game of the 2004 P.I.T. that was great to watch. Guys were balling, finally. Actual basketball was played. We were most impressed with Desmond Farmer, who put up 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds. He's built like Vince Carter, and looks like Rasheed Wallace. But Farmer had plenty of help, as many of his teammates put up similar numbers in the win. Erik Daniels had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, Aerick Sanders had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, Sean Finn put up 10 poinst and 11 rebounds, Dylan Page scored 14, and Antonio Burks added 13. For Sales Systems, Delonte Holland shot 6-of-23 for just 14 points. Michael Watson led the team with 16. James Thomas was very solid with 10 points and 11 rebounds, taking just three shots and getting to the line repeatedly where he went a perfect 8-for-8. See box score. 

MD Designs 94, Norfolk Sports Club 80 
Another fun game to watch. Our favorite player was the highly underrated Ricky Minard, who shot an absurd 10-of-11 and finished with 24 points. Almost all his shots were contested and required him to adjust, sometimes repeatedly, yet he refused to miss. Minard started the game by staying in three-point range, around the left elbow, and when it became apparent that teammates weren't going to get him the ball, he began moving a bit more, and every single time he touched the rock, something good happened. Also for the winners, Andre Brown had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Williams put up 22 points and nine rebounds. For Norfolk Sports Club, Jackson Vroman scored 20, and Gerald Fitch shot 6-of-20 for 14 points. See box score.