2023 PIT Mock

Back by popular demand, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament mock! 

64 of the top senior prospects in college basketball will have the chance to showcase how their games translate to the professional level in front of onlooking NBA, G League, and international front office scouts/decision-makers.

Last year marked PIT’s first post-COVID iteration of the event. The field was quite difficult to predict given the uncertainty as to how NBA teams and the PIT Selection Committee would treat traditional seniors with remaining NCAA eligibility. The way things ultimately played out was that fourth year seniors were only accepted to the event if they provided reasonable assurance that they were 100% set on going pro and would be forgoing their fifth year of NCAA eligibility. As such, many seniors who were initially extended invites declined participating in favor of testing the draft waters and maintaining the flexibility to withdraw and return to school. The 2022 PIT prospect field skewed heavily toward fifth year super seniors with 45 of the 64 participants having fully exhausted their NCAA eligibility. There was one unique case where Courtney Ramey participated, withdrew from the draft, transferred, and then was suspended for three games. The committee will likely be diligent in vetting their potential fourth year senior invitees to ensure a situation like this doesn’t happen again.

Three weeks ahead of the event, I linked up with Mr. PIT himself, Sam Meyerkopf, to mock out a field of 64 invitees. Our initial stab at this projection is weighted heavily in favor of fifth year seniors for the reasons outlined above. This isn’t simply a ranking of the top 64 seniors in college basketball. We have taken into account historical precedent of who typically declines invitations, the molds of prospects who tend to be invited, the PIT’s preference for positional balance, and a lot of intel legwork in order to best project how a realistic 2023 PIT field might shake out.

After much contemplation, here is the field we landed on (with regular updates logged below as we obtain new intel):

ProspectDraft AgePre-Draft TeamPositionHeight (Barefoot)WeightWingspanStanding ReachAgencyTeam
Taevion Kinsey23.3MarshallWing6'3 ¾''1876'10''8'5''RizeNorfolk Sports Club
Pete Nance23.3North CarolinaBig6'9 ¾''2197'0 ½''9'0''PriorityPortsmouth Sports Club
Joe Bryant Jr.23.3Norfolk StateCombo Guard6'0 ¼''2056' 5''8'1''EpicPortsmouth Partnership
Tyshaun Crawford23.9AugustaBig6'11 ¾''2687'7''9'6 ½''Two PointsPortsmouth Partnership
Erik Stevenson24.2West VirginiaCombo Guard6'2 ½''2076'6''8'4''LIFTSales Systems, Ltd.
Mike Bothwell23.4FurmanCombo Guard6'2''1886'5''8'1''OctagonK&D Rounds Landscaping
Gabe Kalscheur24.0Iowa StateCombo Guard6'3 ½''1966'7''8'4''TandemJani King
Umoja Gibson24.0DePaulLead Guard5'11 ¾''1686'4''7'10''Poneman & NaiditchPortsmouth Sports Club
Nate Laszewski23.9Notre DameForward6'8 ¾''2176'11''8'9''ImperativePortsmouth Partnership
Osun Osunniyi22.7Iowa StateBig6'8 ¾''2207'4''9'1 ½''EdgeMike Duman Auto Sales
Race Thompson24.0IndianaForward6'6 ¾''2467'0 ½''8'8''DMLPortsmouth Sports Club
Tajion Jones24.4UNC-AshevilleWing6'4 ½''2026'8''8'4''DMLJani King
Caleb McConnell23.0RutgersWing6'5''1956'8''8'6''ProMondoSales Systems, Ltd.
DeAndre Williams26.7MemphisForward6'7 ¾''1996'11''8'10 ½''Mike Duman Auto Sales
Kendric Davis24.1MemphisLead GuardN/AN/AN/AN/AOne LegacyK&D Rounds Landscaping
Jelly Walker23.9UABCombo Guard5'9 ¼''1596'1''7'7 ½''HazanRoger Brown's Restaurant
D'Moi Hodge24.5MissouriCombo Guard6'2 ¾''1816'5 ½''8'3''UNLTDRoger Brown's Restaurant
Derrick Walker25.6NebraskaBig6'7 ½''2517'0''8'9''WMENorfolk Sports Club
Hunter Maldonado24.2WyomingWing6'4 ¼''1926'4 ½''8'3 ½''OctagonK&D Rounds Landscaping
Grant Sherfield23.6OklahomaCombo Guard6'0 ¾''2036'6''8'0''ADSSales Systems, Ltd.
Desmond Cambridge Jr.24.5Arizona StateWing6'3 ½''1746'10''8'4 ½''Young MoneyPortsmouth Partnership
Toumani Camara23.1DaytonForward6'6 ¾''2227'0 ½''8'9 ½''Up TempoPortsmouth Partnership
Kevin Obanor25.0Texas TechBig6'6 ¼''2336'10''8'8 ½''UniqueK&D Rounds Landscaping
Sir'Jabari Rice24.5TexasCombo Guard6'3 ½''1706'9''8'5''One LegacyK&D Rounds Landscaping
Tevian Jones23.0Southern UtahWing6'5 ½''1896'10''8'7 ½''SummitPortsmouth Sports Club
Justyn Mutts24.5Virginia TechBig6'6''2317'3''8'7 ½''PensackRoger Brown's Restaurant
Yuri Collins22.3Saint LouisLead Guard5'10 ¾''1906'5 ½''8'0''LIFTJani King
Sincere Carry23.8Kent StateLead Guard5'11 ¾''1816'1 ½''7'10''Par-LayNorfolk Sports Club
Timmy Allen23.4TexasWing6'4 ½''2136'10 ½''8'6''ExcelNorfolk Sports Club
Kris Bankston23.9Norfolk StateBig6'6 ¾''2147'1 ½''8'11''MansfieldJani King
Justice Sueing24.3Ohio StateForward6'5 ¾''2266'9''8'7 ½''RizePortsmouth Sports Club
Tyger Campbell23.4UCLALead Guard5'11''1826'2''7'8 ½''WassermanPortsmouth Sports Club
Tanner Groves24.1OklahomaBig6'7 ¾''2316'11''8'10 ½''ADSRoger Brown's Restaurant
Connor Vanover24.0Oral RobertsBigN/AN/AN/AN/AAllianceK&D Rounds Landscaping
KJ Williams23.8LSUBig6'7 ¾''2487'0''8'11 ½''ISESales Systems, Ltd.
Jake Stephens23.6ChattanoogaBig6'10 ¾''2707'9 ½''9'3''SiegelPortsmouth Sports Club
JT Shumate24.0ToledoForward6'5''2116'10 ½''8'7''PotterRoger Brown's Restaurant
Hunter Tyson23.0ClemsonForward6'6 ½''2136'10''8'7''AssistMike Duman Auto Sales
JaVonte Perkins24.8Saint LouisWing6'4 ½''1966'10''8'6 ½''SpencerPortsmouth Partnership
Kevin Samuel25.9South AlabamaBig6'10''2627'6''9'1 ½''HHSGRoger Brown's Restaurant
Cam Shelton23.5Loyola MarymountLead Guard6'0 ¼''1906'3''7'10 ½''WMERoger Brown's Restaurant
Filip Rebrača23.8IowaBig6'8''2276'9''8'9 ½''SiegelK&D Rounds Landscaping
Zyon Pullin22.3UC-RiversideLead Guard6'4''1996'5 ½''8'3''RizeJani King
Dane Goodwin23.5Notre DameWing6'4''2076'5''8'1 ½''PensackNorfolk Sports Club
Darius McGhee24.1LibertyLead Guard5'9 ¼''1496'0 ½''7'6''ComsportMike Duman Auto Sales
Damion Baugh22.9TCUCombo Guard6'2 ¼''1896'8''8'4''CMGPortsmouth Partnership
Rasir Bolton23.7GonzagaCombo Guard6'1''1786'3''8'0 ½''OctagonPortsmouth Sports Club
Craig Porter Jr.23.3Wichita StateCombo Guard6'0 ¾''1766'4''8'0 ½''DeVoreMike Duman Auto Sales
Tyree Appleby24.7Wake ForestLead Guard5'11 ½''1636'1''7'10''EdgeNorfolk Sports Club
Nathan Mensah25.2San Diego StateBig6'9 ¾''2227'5 ½''9'2''EdgeSales Systems, Ltd.
Emmanuel Akot24.3Western KentuckyWing6'5 ¾''2056'9''8'7 ½''HazanSales Systems, Ltd.
Patrick Gardner24.0MaristBig6'10 ¾''2247'1 ½''9'2''GSLNorfolk Sports Club
Josh Roberts23.9ManhattanBig6'7''2057'1 ½''8'11''Team EntertainmentSales Systems, Ltd.
Mo Udeze23.5New MexicoBig6'7 ¾''2367'1''8'11''One LegacyJani King
Manny Bates23.3ButlerBig6'9 ¼''2417'2''9'0''GMGSENorfolk Sports Club
Trey Jemison23.6UABBig6'9 ½''2607'2''9'2 ½''One MotiveJani King
Seth Millner23.0ToledoForward6'5''2156'8 ½''8'5''One LegacyJani King
Jamarius Burton23.2PittCombo Guard6'3 ¼''2046'6 ½''8'4''EdgeMike Duman Auto Sales
Jarkel Joiner24.1NC StateCombo Guard6'0 ½''1796'4 ½''7'11''JCKSales Systems, Ltd.
Ed Croswell23.8ProvidenceForward6'7 ¼''2477'2''8'11 ½''SiegelMike Duman Auto Sales
David Singleton24.7UCLAWing6'3''2216'6''8'3 ½''ADSRoger Brown's Restaurant
Leon Ayers III23.2Bowling GreenCombo Guard6'3 ½''1746'9''8'4 ½''PerpetualPortsmouth Partnership
Eric Williams Jr.23.9San DiegoForward6'5 ¼''1956'9''8'5 ½''DynastyK&D Rounds Landscaping
Javan Johnson24.5DePaulWing6'5''1897'1 ½''8'8 ½''HazanMike Duman Auto Sales

There are typically double-digit PIT invitees who decline their invitations in a given year. This is typically driven by agency strategy if a given prospect already is in strong enough standing among NBA scouts to warrant an NBA Combine or G League Elite Camp invitation. There will additionally be a good handful of fourth year seniors who decline invitations to maintain NCAA eligiblity to return for a super senior 2023-24 campaign.

Projected Declines

Marcus Sasser (Houston)                      Kevin McCullar (Kansas) 

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)                       Adam Flagler (Baylor)                   

Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)            Drew Timme (Gonzaga) 

Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)               Kobe Brown (Missouri)   

Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)             Jalen Pickett (Penn State)    

Brandon Slater (Villanova)                   Taylor Funk (Utah State)

Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)        Tyler Burton (Richmond)

Matthew Mayer (Illinois)                         Caleb Daniels (Villanova)

Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)                   Spencer Jones (Stanford) 

Santi Vescovi (Tennessee)                     Miles Norris (UCSB)

Drew Peterson (USC)                            Ben Sheppard (Belmont) 

Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)       Joey Hauser (Michigan State)

Isaiah Wong (Miami)                             Markquis Nowell (Kansas State)

Colin Castleton (Florida)                       Omari Moore (San Jose State)

Jordan Miller (Miami)                             Anton Watson (Gonzaga)

Jack Nunge (Xavier)                              Jacob Toppin (Kentucky)

Marcus Carr (Texas)                              Will Richardson (Oregon)

Leaky Black (North Carolina)                Jalen Slawson (Furman)

Souley Boum (Xavier)                           Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy)

Matt Bradley (San Diego State)            Brandon Johns Jr. (VCU)

Note: Seth Lundy (Penn State), Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy), and Brandon Johns Jr. (VCU) have each been formally announced by PIT as participants, but intel suggests that they have each subsequently decided to decline their invitations and will not be in attendance.

Some fourth year seniors will explicitly declare their intent to test the waters while maintaining NCAA eligibility. While some prospects may be willing to take on the risk of an almost certain forthcoming NCAA suspension if they return to school, we will generally err on the side of assuming that these prospects will not participate in PIT unless specific intel suggests otherwise.

Water Testers

Hakim Hart (Maryland)                          Branden Carlson (Utah)

Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State)           Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky)

Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee)             Boo Buie (Northwestern)

Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)                   Tylor Perry (North Texas)

Tolu Smith III (Mississippi State)            Chase Audige (Northwestern)

The injury bug unfortunately plagues some seniors during their pre-draft process. There are typically a few players who are unable to participate at PIT due to their injury status, but sometimes these prospects will still make the trip down to Portsmouth to interview with team personnel.

Injured Reserve

Liam Robbins (Vanderbilt)                     Xavier Johnson (Indiana)

Seth Lundy (Penn State)

Note: Seth Lundy was formally announced by PIT as a participant, but intel suggests that a minor ankle tweak has sidelined him and he will no longer participate.

Some PIT-caliber fourth year seniors make their intentions clear prior to the event that they’ll be returning for a super senior season.

Returners/Transfers

Armando Bacot (North Carolina)          Drew Pember (UNC Asheville) 

Joel Soriano (St. John’s)                      Max Abmas (Oral Roberts)

Jahmir Young (Maryland)                     Boogie Ellis (USC)

Donta Scott (Maryland)                        Keion Brooks (Washington)

Jesse Edwards (Syracuse)                  Malik Hall (Michigan State)

Update Log

3/24/23 11:30 p.m. EST: Moved Hakim Hart (Maryland), Brendan Carlson (Utah), and Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State) from Projected Declines to Water Testers per their public declarations.

3/25/23 8:30 a.m. EST: Moved Eric Williams Jr. (San Diego) from Mock to IR per updated intel and added Joey Hauser to Mock.

3/25/23 11:00 p.m. EST: Added Trey Jemison (UAB) to Mock and moved Caleb Daniels from Mock to Projected Declines per updated intel.

3/27/23 3:30 p.m. EST: Removed Aaron Estrada (Hofstra) from Mock and moved Landers Nolley II (Cincinnati) from Projected Declines to Mock per updated intel.

3/28/23 4:30 p.m. EST: Removed Xavier Castaneda (Akron) from Mock and added Miles Norris (UCSB) to Mock per updated intel.

3/28/23 8:45 p.m. EST: Moved Donta Scott (Maryland) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Race Thompson (Indiana) to Mock per updated intel.

3/31/23 2:30 p.m. EST: Moved Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Yuri Collins (Saint Louis) to Mock per updated intel.

3/31/23 2:45 p.m. EST: Moved Miles Norris (UCSB) from Mock to Projected Declines and moved Eric Williams Jr. (San Diego) from IR to Mock per updated intel.

4/2/23 11:00 p.m. EST: Moved Jesse Edwards (Syracuse) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Justice Sueing (Ohio State) to Mock per updated intel.

4/2/23 11:45 p.m. EST: Removed EJ Harkless (UNLV) from Mock and added Seth Millner (Toledo) to Mock per updated intel.

4/3/23 4:45 p.m. EST: Removed Sam Griesel (Nebraska) from Mock and added Patrick Gardner (Marist to Mock per updated intel.

4/4/23 11:45 a.m. EST: Moved Tolu Smith III (Mississippi State) to Water Testers and added Sir’Jabari Rice (Texas) to Mock per updated intel.

4/4/23 12:00 p.m. EST: Moved Colin Castleton (Florida) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Tajion Jones (UNC Asheville) to Mock per updated intel.

4/4/23 2:00 p.m. EST: Removed Angelo Allegri (Eastern Washington) from Mock and added Manny Bates (Butler) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/4/23 3:30 p.m. EST: Removed Jaren Holmes (Iowa State) from Mock and added Zyon Pullin (UC-Riverside) to Mock per updated intel.

4/5/23 12:45 p.m. EST: Moved Jordan Miller (Miami) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Gabe Kalsheur (Iowa State) to Mock per updated intel.

4/5/23 3:30 p.m. EST: Moved Anton Watson (Gonzaga) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Caleb McConnell (Rutgers) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/6/23 4:15 p.m. EST: Moved Jack Nunge (Xavier) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Tanner Groves (Oklahoma) to Mock per updated intel.

4/6/23 4:45 p.m. EST: Moved Jacob Toppin (Kentucky) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Erik Stevenson (West Virginia) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/7/23 12:45 p.m. EST: Moved Landers Nolley (Cincinnati) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Dane Goodwin (Notre Dame) to Mock per updated intel.

4/7/23 8:30 p.m. EST: Removed Kihei Clark (Virginia) from Mock and added David Singleton (UCLA) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/8/23 9:30 a.m. EST: Removed Logan Johnson (Saint Mary’s) from Mock and added Leon Ayers III (Bowling Green) to Mock per updated intel.

4/8/23 9:45 a.m. EST: Removed Jayden Gardner (Virginia) from Mock and added Craig Porter Jr. (Wichita State) to Mock per updated intel.

4/8/23 1:30 p.m. EST: Moved Jalen Slawson (Furman) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Mike Bothwell (Furman) to Mock per updated intel.

4/8/23 3:45 p.m. EST: Moved Marcus Carr (Texas) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Umoja Gibson (DePaul to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/8/23 5:00 p.m. EST: Moved Markquis Nowell (Kansas State from Mock to Projected Declines and added Kevin Samuel (South Alabama) per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/8/23 3:30 p.m. EST: Removed Khalil Shabazz (San Francisco) from Mock and added Ed Crosswell (Providence) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/9/23 12:00 p.m. EST: Moved Brandon Slater (Villanova) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Tevian Jones (Southern Utah) to Mock per updated intel.

4/9/23 3:00 p.m. EST: Moved Will Richardson (Oregon) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Joe Bryant Jr. (Norfolk State) to Mock per updated intel.

4/9/23 4:15 p.m. EST: Moved Seth Lundy (Penn State) from Mock to IR and added Derrick Walker (Nebraska) to Mock per updated intel.

4/9/23 6:20 p.m. EST: Moved Leaky Black (North Carolina) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Desmond Cambridge Jr. (Arizona State) to Mock per updated intel and official PIT player announcement.

4/9/23 9:30 p.m. EST: Moved Souley Boum (Xavier) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Josh Roberts (Manhattan) to Mock per updated intel.

4/10/23 11:00 a.m. EST: Moved Omari Moore (San Jose State), Matt Bradley (San Diego State), Joey Hauser (Michigan State), Anotine Davis (Detroit Mercy), Taylor Funk (Utah State) from Mock to Projected Declines, removed Kahlid Moore (Fordham) from Mock, and added Tyshaun Crawford (Augusta), Connor Vanover (Oral Roberts), Emmanuel Akot (Western Kentucky), Tyger Campbell (UCLA), Javonte Perkins (Saint Louis), and Brandon Johns Jr. (VCU) to Mock per updated intel.

4/11/23 3:30 p.m. EST: Moved Brandon Johns Jr. (VCU) from Mock to Projected Declines and added Kris Bankston (Norfolk State) to Mock per updated intel.