Most Intriguing Prospects from 2013 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

The 2013 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament concluded on Saturday, April 13. The tournament is one of two events held prior to the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 27.

On Saturday, the 2013 All-Tournament team was announced and was as follows:

Brandon Davies (MVP) – BYU

Keith Clanton – UCF

Ian Clark – Belmont

Carl Hall – Wichita State

Ramon Galloway – LaSalle

Jamelle Hagins – Delaware

Tyler Brown – Illinois State

Dwayne Davis – Southern Mississippi

Robert Covington – Tennessee State

Durand Scott – Miami

Ed Daniel – Murray State

Jack Cooley – Notre Dame

While each of these players were recognized for their play throughout the tournament, a number of players stood out, in my opinion, and could eventually hear their names called during this year’s draft.

Brandon Davies

According to DraftExpress, Davies was ranked as the 37th-best senior in the country through April 11.

He left his mark on this year’s event by being named MVP of the 2013 tournament. He proved himself to be the best big man in the event and showed an excellent motor that would translate well to the next level.

Davies finished second in scoring by averaging 20.7 points per game and tied for fourth in rebounding at 9.3 rebounds per game. He led the tournament in field-goal percentage at 67.6 percent and showed excellent touch on his jump shot out to around 15 feet.

If Davies works to extend the range on his jump shot, he would be an excellent stretch-4 for an NBA team. As it stands now, he could easily be drafted in the second round of this year’s draft and with continued improvement in pre-draft workouts, he could sneak into the end of the first.

Ramon Galloway

Galloway entered the tournament fresh off LaSalle’s Sweet 16 run in this year’s NCAA Tournament. He led the team in scoring, assists and steals throughout the year and was the 43rd-ranked senior according to DraftExpress.

In my opinion, Galloway showed that he had the most upside of any guard in the tournament. He showed ability to get into the lane and make plays for himself and teammates. He also showed an all-around floor game throughout the event, averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

Galloway, listed anywhere from 6’1” to 6’3” and 175-180 pounds, has a small frame, but was unafraid to attack the basket against bigger opponents. He did struggle with turnovers throughout the tournament, totaling 20 in the three games. He will likely need to play a lot of point guard at the next level and he will need to improve ball security in order to maximize his potential for success.

He could benefit an NBA team greatly as an effective scoring guard off the bench.

Tyler Brown

Tyler Brown entered the tournament fairly low on many people’s radar. According to the DraftExpress rankings, he was the 73rd-ranked senior in the country at the start of the tournament. He could have opened the eyes of many scouts and executives with his performance in this year’s tournament.

Shooting is at a premium in today’s NBA game, and Brown can shoot the ball. He made the most three-pointers in the tournament, making 13 of his 28 (46.4 percent) of his attempts. He finished third in the tournament in scoring at 19.7 points per game. His play culminated with a 27-point game on the last night of the tournament, a performance which also included seven three-pointers.

Brown is slightly small for the shooting guard position at the next level (6'4" and 185 lbs.), but his ability to shoot the ball could find him a place on an NBA roster. He could easily find himself playing a role similar to Gary Neal of the San Antonio Spurs, if given an opportunity in the league.

Jack Cooley

Jack Cooley is a 6’9”, 238-pound bruising forward from Notre Dame. He averaged a double-double for Notre Dame this year, finishing the season at 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for the Fighting Irish. Cooley did not disappoint at all with his performance in Portsmouth.

Cooley proved to be a monster on the glass throughout the tournament. He led the event in rebounding (14.0) per game and averaged 7.0 offensive rebounds per game. He also averaged 13.0 points per game.

He is reminiscent in a lot of ways of another former Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody. Like Harangody, Cooley could possibly be selected in the second round of the draft, and his rebounding ability and toughness could help him stick with an NBA team.

Jamelle Hagins

Hagins was a double-double machine during his junior and senior seasons at Delaware. During the regular season, Hagins was 10th in the nation in double-doubles with 16 throughout the season.

He also finished the year seventh in rebounding, averaging 10.7 rebounds per game to go along with his 11.6 points per game. He continued to show that same double-double ability throughout this year’s tournament.

He was fifth in scoring in the tournament, averaging 16.7 points per game, and was third in rebounding at 9.7 rebounds per game. He was also active on the defensive end, finishing third in steals (2.3 per game) and blocks (2.0 per game).

After averaging only 11.6 points per game this year at Delaware, Hagins showed a solid offensive game, including the ability to hit the 12-to 15-foot jump shot.

His game is very similar to Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls, and he could find himself filling a similar role for an NBA team.

Dwayne Davis

Dwayne Davis was the most consistent scorer throughout the event, leading the tournament in scoring at 21.7 points per game.

He shot 50 percent both from the field overall and from three-point range, and he made all of his free-throw attempts. He exploded in his third game of the tournament, scoring 29 points and making seven three-pointers.

He is a bit undersized for the shooting guard position at the next level, but he could carve out a bench role with the right team.

Other Intriguing Names

Khalif Wyatt, Temple

Wyatt entered the tournament fresh off of his two scoring outbursts in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 31.0 in two tournament games for Temple, after finishing the season 17th in the nation at 19.8 points per game.

Wyatt was quiet during the Portsmouth tournament, averaging only 9.0 in his team’s three games. It will be interesting to see if a team decides to take a chance on Wyatt with a late draft pick.

Robert Covington, Tennessee State

Covington is an intriguing prospect, due to his length and his ability to potentially play the wing position at the next level. Covington finished the tournament averaging 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He struggled somewhat with his shooting touch (42.9 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from three-point range) but could still interest some teams in the league.