Portsmouth Invitational Tournament 2025 Preview
It's PIT time! My favorite NBA Draft-related event where seniors get the opportunity to put themselves on the radar of NBA scouts and earn call-ups to the G League Elite Camp.
Introduction
When?
The tournament will be played between 16 April and 19 April, with all games streamed here. It’s a fantastic resource for NBA scouts to track seniors who later on can earn two-way contracts or even perform well enough to be considered in the draft. The emphasis of this article is to shine a first light on the players and what to expect during the next few days.
Quote from the PIT website:
“Every year since 1953, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has invited 64 senior college basketball players from across the nation to compete before professional scouts. Eight teams of eight players play a 12 game tournament over 4 days, with each player hoping to reach their dreams of becoming a professional basketball player.
Over the years, the P.I.T. has welcomed players that are now household names, like Rick Barry, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler and more.
They’ve all come to Portsmouth to play, along with numerous players who went on to enjoy long and prosperous careers overseas. The future of the tournament looks just as bright. Run by the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Foundation, the P.I.T. has gained a highly valued reputation with interest from college players stronger than ever.”
The Teams:
Analysis Per Team
K&D Rounds
I’ll be closely monitoring Dayton’s Nate Santos. The 6-foot-7 floor-spacer fits the bill of the NBA’s versatile shooting-heavy wing. He has a scalable game where his wing defense and ball-moving are two vital parts of what NBA scouts will focus on him doing in the tournament. Another name is Jaden Akins. He has been loyal to Coach Izzo his entire career, and he was rewarded as being the team’s captain. Akins’ point-of-attack defense and good core strength that helps him as a finisher while effectively sliding his feet as a defender give NBA teams another draftable prospect to focus on in the K&D Rounds roster.
Sean Padulla had a hot stretch with Ole Miss, as he’s the highly touted name on the list. For European scouts, Xavier’s Zach Freemantle is a name to monitor. As a skilled combo forward, his traditional game with his back to the basket while being a good screener fits what decision-makers across the pond seek when scouting potential signings who are still in college.
Chase Hunter with his rim pressure, Jonathan Pierre, his all-rounded offensive game as a ball handler and the defensive-anchoring Jonas Aidoo are the last group. I don’t see an NBA future for them right away hence less focus on what they’ll bring to the table during the event.
Sales Systems, Ltd.
For European scouts, J’Wan Roberts is the main prize. He’s the best outgoing senior big man in this year’s class. However, he’d probably use many European teams wanting him as leverage to continue to battle for his NBA future as a rebounding rim protector and interior defender. NBA scouts will line up to see Wooga Poplar, who outperformed his good years at Miami by being one of the most complete guards in the Big East at Villanova this year.
Despite missing the NCAA Tournament, Poplar’s self-creation on top of his role as an initiating ball handler is a bonus to teams seeking his strong team defense and consistent rebounding as their main addition. Sales Systems, Ltd. might be the most complete squad in terms of role players, with Marquette’s David Joplin’s main task being that he can show creativity and self-creation, as he was a vital connecting piece for Coach Shaka Smart.
Daniel Batcho, Kobe Sanders, and Ty Johnson are players I haven’t seen play this year, so I refrain from analyzing them.
Portsmouth Partnership
From a defensive standpoint, this is the most stacked roster. It’s also frontcourt heavy. There will be many G League programs that will aim to bring in Oumar Ballo, who had an inconsistent year at Indiana but still brings vital pick-and-roll play-finishing and rebounding to the next level. For NBA scouts, Great Osobor (Washington) and David N’Guessan (Kansas State) are two names who’ll be at the top of their watchlist. Osobor’s ball skills as a face-up scorer bring intrigue, as N’Guessan’s stellar team defense and consistent shooting off the catch give him the edge among his peers.
Jahmai Maschak (Tennessee) is challenged to show more offensive creativity on top of his defense. NBA scouts will test to see how well he can help sustain their offensive rating, as his defense has never been the question mark. With strong guard play from back-to-back WCC Player of the Year, Augustas Marčiulionis, and back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Ace Baldwin IV, the Portsmouth Partnership are my early title contenders.
Norfolk Sports Club
A combination of stout frontcourt pieces in Viktor Lakhin (Clemson) and Tyson Degenhart (Boise State) and creative guards in Cam Carter (LSU) and Erik Reynolds III (Saint Joseph’s) makes it clear we’ll see an unselfish style of play, with Reynolds III’s shooting being the thing to watch for NBA scouts, while Carter and Degenhart can showcase their ability in creating plays.
But the real star on this team will be Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort. The 6-foot-7 ball-handling wing has the best odds of convincing NBA scouts during the tournament. He’s built like an NFL linebacker and has all the intangibles to compensate for his lack of foot speed. That’s been the main red flag in his draft profile. Another stout defender who’ll put his strengths to the table is St. John’s starting guard Deivon Smith. The former Utah standout is the best-coveted prospect on the list when considering his team’s success.
But I must refrain from analysis on Tamar Bates, as I haven’t followed him since he left Indiana.
Portsmouth Sports Club
This is the team I am the least familiar with while looking forward to seeing Joe Bamisile (VCU) and Earl Timberlake (Bryant) for the first time. Regardless, NBA scouts should be on the lookout for two top defenders in Cameron Matthews (Mississippi State) and Chucky Hepburn (Louisville).
The aforementioned has the makings of the ultimate glue guy for NBA standards. He was one of the best defenders in the SEC, with the issue being that offensively, he’s struggling to keep his team’s offensive rating at par. NBA teams will always choose top defenders to whom they can bring the offensive value up rather than the other way around. For Hepburn, it’s all context-based, as he took the role on himself to evolve into the Cardinals’ star on a team built not to have one in place.
Adama Bal (Santa Clara) and Moussa Cissé (Memphis) are prospects I heavily scouted last season but got much less attention this year. Despite Andrew Carr’s good year at Kentucky, he’s the prospect I’m surprised about the most being called up, as I don’t see an NBA future for him. Regardless, European decision-makers will be on the lookout as I expect him to garner interest from teams at the Eurocup and/or Basketball Champions League level.
Roger Brown’s Restaurant
I’m all for skilled-forward pieces finding their path to becoming professionals. This roster has three in Julian Reese (Maryland), and Kadin Shedrick (Texas), who should play as a four and/or a five, while Terrence Edwards, Jr. (Louisville) serves more as a combo forward.
For the NBA, consistent shooters in Khalif Battle (Gonzaga), who bring self-creation and ball-handling duties with his combination of playmaking-focused AJ Hoggard (Vanderbilt), bring depth to the perimeter. This will be a high-scoring team, especially considering how well-rounded it becomes with a stout defender in Kobe Johnson (UCLA), who still has the best chances of earning himself a call-up to the G League Elite Camp.
I will look forward to seeing this team play, as I never saw a minute of both Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall) and Sebastian Thomas (Rhode Island).
Jani-King
This team has a heavy pedigree of prospects who have risen from the low-major or even JUCO (Curtis Jones, Iowa State) to become power-five starting players. That’s the value NBA scouts will also see, as the committee that compiled the roster at PIT deserves lots of credit.
Saint Thomas is the most complete prospect on this team, as I expect him to make the biggest difference. On top of that, Bez Mbeng looks like the true prize for NBA scouts. Subscribers can look forward to an in-depth scouting report on his NBA profile soon, where I will use his tournament to further contextualize what he put on display at Yale. He’s one of the most complete guards outside the power-five level with his combination of handles, passing creativity, and consistent execution of his reads. It wouldn’t surprise me if he kickstarted his NBA summer as a standout during this tournament.
Watching this team gives me a better opportunity to follow up on Nelly-Junior Joseph (New Mexico) and Igor Miličić, Jr. (Tennessee), who were mid-major standouts in past years.
Mike Duman, Inc.
Despite my cautious approach in translating college success to playing well in Europe, Wade Taylor IV will have decision-makers draw their full attention to this team. He has been a true SEC star who has shown to carry his team in recent years. On top of that, NBA scouts will be intrigued by the great positional size this roster is filled with.
Patrick McCaffery (Butler), John Poulakidas (Yale), and Jamiya Neal (Creighton) all bring intriguing NBA skill sets to the table. They have the most to gain in this tournament, with Darius Johnson (UCF) having the task of showing what else he can do outside of carrying an offense. Despite the high pedigree of offensive value, defense is where I will focus on the most in this team, as it allows me to see Cesare Edwards (Georgia State) play for the first time.
Expected Call-ups to the G League Elite Camp
Here’s a list of twelve names whom I expect will be the frontrunners to receive a call-up to the G League Elite Camp:
Jaden Akins — Michigan State
Wooga Poplar — Villanova
Nate Santos — Dayton
David N’Guessan — Kansas State
Jahmyl Telfort — Butler
Cameron Matthews — Mississippi State
Kobe Johnson — UCLA
Bez Mbeng — Yale
John Poulakidas — Yale
Sean Padulla — Ole Miss
Jahmai Mashack — Tennessee
Chucky Hepburn — Louisville
Don’t be Shocked if you see them on an NBA Roster:
Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort is my favorite to land an NBA deal in this tournament. He’s not a popular name, but one that fits the mold of what NBA decision-makers seek the most. Here’s an in-depth scouting report I wrote earlier this month.
Another NBA-ready role player is Kansas State’s David N’Guessan, who I can see getting his name called on draft night. He fits into his NBA role the easiest, which is described in 3K+ words below.
A name where a write-up will follow soon are Cameron Matthews (Mississippi State), and Yale’s Bez Mbeng. I expect both to be the surprise of the tournament, while Matthews will be crowned as the best defender.