[kikikikiParticipant]

Well Portsmouth 2024 is this week any thoughts on who should be attending/invites?

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

I wish some guys that declined would attend… wishful thinking… Looks like the prospects are maybe set. Someday maybe more of the better senior prospects will participate…
https://www.rookiescale.com/2024-pit-mock/
I got semi high hopes for Enrique Freeman. Hope I didn’t just jinx him… But I think he can make a little more name for himself in this.

[HitsterParticipant]

I’ve always assumed that guys who are pretty well in the mixto go in round two wouldn’t take part in this. Can a 4th year senior play in this and return to college next year as this will be the last year it could happen?

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Nope, they’ve eliminated that.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

https://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/tournament/2024/roster/

It is a really talented field. The added covid year allowed a lot of guys to really improve their games. I feel as though Portsmouth Sports Club has the best roster, though am curious to see how Riley Minix and Vonterius Woolbright do with Sales Systems LTD. DII Player-of-the-Year KJ Jones II is the only non-DI guy at the event.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

Very talented for the PIT this year. I think I like Roger Brown’s restaurant as the top team – although they can very well be the last. I like their frontcourt the best though. The backcourt can still hold it’s own. Imo Sports Club is 2nd most talented group. This could be the tightest it’s been so far. Still would be nice to see some guys that declined, but it seems like the PIT is going somewhere.

[HitsterParticipant]

I recognise a fair few names from March Madness and there are some decent players there. It gives the guys a chance to get above others in their college year for Summer League, Pre Season squads, any none NBA League too so is always a useful showcase.

[NorrinRaddParticipant]

of course there’s no Jake “Sloth” Stephens in this year’s PIT.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

Toumani Camara played in last year’s PIT, and ended up getting drafted. He seems likely to stick around the league for a while. Trey Jemison, Timmy Allen, Jordan Walker, Nathan Mensah, Taevion Kinsey, D’Moi Hodge, and Sir’Jabari Rice had two-way deals for some part of the season. Craig Porter ended up with a full NBA deal. It is a nice platform for seniors who can sometimes be overlooked. With three two-way deals per team, and every team having a G-League affiliate, there are more opportunities now. Also, for guys with a less appealing NBA game, it gets them in front of international scouts. I feel as though Jamison Battle, Drew Pember, Riley Minix, and Isaiah Crawford are locks to be in the G-League as possible versatile developmental guys worth investing some time in. Maybe Marcus Domask is a bit smaller, but really did well as an up-transfer at Illinois. Jermaine Couisnard is probably too old and small to get drafted, but is a really talented player. I though Josh Oduro had a really nice year at Providence, and am curious as to what his measurements will be. He handled himself well at center in a league with real centers, and has some versatility in his skill set.

I find it funny that there are three Dutch guys there. Malevy Leons, Tristan Enaruna, and Jesse Edwards all completed their college careers. The Netherlands is one of those countries that isn’t usually on the basketball prospect map. I wonder if they will be better off starting out in the G-League or using their EU passports to get their career started across the Atlantic. Enaruna and Leons have NBA friendly-styles. Edwards is more of a big rim runner, rebounder, and rim protector who isn’t that agile.

[HitsterParticipant]

If they have EU passports I’d figure they would use them to get into one of those leagues to get good playing time.

Aaron Estrada went to the final 4 with the Crimson Tide but his final NCAA year wasn’t as good as his previous 2 but he is one of the better players at PIT IMO. Ray J Dennis of Baylor also had a fine college career so might be another to watch.

Will the tournament be a mix of 5th and 4th year guys next year as both will have used up their eligibility. There will be some roster holes for 25/26 with more guys graduating and make next year’s transfer portal even more important.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

The extra covid year will be mostly complete after next year, so it will be an older group again. It is easy to forget that year was such a mess that people weren’t getting their typical practice and development in their sports. Teams were going in and out of covid pauses frequently, and then cramming makeup games into tight windows. I have no problem with them having the extra year if they want it. Combined with that is the NCAA has loosened its longtime rule on injury redshirting. If a guy has a health scare like Myles Rice or Blake Hinson where they can’t play for multiple years, the NCAA used to say “Well, you get one redshirt year.” They have loosened those rules so that they get four years to play. It might not seem like a big change, but for a guy who tears an ACL or ruptures an achilles, they aren’t up against the clock in their rehab. This means there will be more 24 and 25 year olds going forward. Again, I don’t think it is a big deal. I don’t know if Myles Rice is going to stay in college long enough to exhaust his eligibility, but is it right to hold it against him that he got diagnosed with cancer as a freshman? If a guy is a pro prospect, he probably won’t want to hang around. If not, there are worse things in life than getting a grad degree for free and playing a sport you are pretty good at.

[HitsterParticipant]

So if next year PIT will be 5th year seniors where do the 4th year guys go I wonder if it cannot be a mix?

The extra year rule was totally fair and will run its course by next summer. Transferring has also been made much easier I don;t know if the NCAA will continue to allow constant transferring or they may limit it to a one or two during a college career or only allow one if you decommit etc.

Transfering could almost become the new “One and done” where teams are looking for proven guys to have a run at the title.

[BothTeamsPlayedHard-Participant]

I assume the challenge this year for PIT is that to get 50-60 guys for an April event they have to assemble their player lists in February and March. To do so, they can only invite guys they know will be finishing their eligibility. Courtney Ramey and Zyon Pullin played in the event last year, and got suspended by the NCAA for 3 games when they changed their minds about using the covid year. Next year, proper 4th year players will be exhausting their eligibility as well as the covid 5th years. It should make things easier.

[HitsterParticipant]

I guess they start inviting most seniors who are on the edge of the mock drafts as guys likely to be drafted have no need to play in the tournament. Also those whose teams don’t go deep in March Madness are far more likely to play too.

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