Scouting the PIT 2022

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A deep group of standouts

With the 2022 edition of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in the books, we are taking a look at the historical event's most outstanding performers. While the overall level might have been down somewhat from earlier editions, the crowd at Churchland High School once again got a first-hand look at a plethora of future pros, be it in the NBA, the G League or various overseas competitions. Only those players who took part in all three PIT games for their respective teams were considered for this list. 

Savion Flagg

Strong-bodied combo forward. Showed a little bit of everything over the weekend. Knocked down shots from deep and from the midrange. Showed feathery touch on fadeaways after posting up. Good athlete that crashed the offensive glass hard. Had a couple nice passes as well, displaying better court vision that expected. Should be able to hold his own guarding bigs. 

Javante McCoy

Pure scorer that slashed in the lane all weekend. Had good touch with floaters and pull-ups in the lane. Really excelled with the pull-up 3 off the bounce. Showed a really nice crossover pull up that he used effectively multiple times. Goes to the basket when driving up, shoots the jumper when driving left. Some concerns about physicality and strength remain. 

Darius Days

Had a really good weekend on both ends of the floor. Showed his ability to stretch the floor with multiple pick and pop 3s and used his touch and strong body on the interior to finish. Showed more explosiveness than anticipated with one rim-rocking dunk without any run-up. Loved that he wanted to get inside to mix it up as well as stretching the floor. Fronted very well vs. opposing bigs. Didn't measure well at 6'5 without shoes but played much bigger than his size.

Jared Rhoden

One of the biggest stock risers on the weekend. He showed the ability to do just about everything. Explosive but also played with great pace to get to the rim and get to midrange spots. Was a great slasher and moved without the ball as well. Defensively he was strong, guarded bigs inside as well as guards on the perimeter. Proved that he can assume ballhandling/creation duties and displayed above-average court vision/passing skills despite only averaging 1 apg in college. 

Quenton Jackson

One of the most explosive players at PIT. Got to the rim at will, just like during the college season. Lethal in transition. Great finisher at the rim with either hand and impressive body control.  Showed his improved jumper and ball handling skills, as well. Hinted at an ability to become a secondary PnR creator. Shotblocking threat from the weakside or on chasedowns.  

Michael Devoe

Deservedly won the PIT MVP award. Pure scorer that was able to get by the primary defender whenever he wanted. Not even blindingly quick, but plays at his own pace and is very smart at finding and picking his spots. Almost exclusively left hand driver but was able to get to his left hand at will. Probably the best we saw at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Range is beyond NBA range as well. Had questions whether he could play the point at the next level but those questions were answered as he showed great pick and roll patience and good court vision with a few majestic dimes. Ball handling was solid as well.

Justin Bean

Freak athlete who surprised everybody with an incredible put back dunk on day 2. Good range from 3 and an elite rebounder. Attacking the offensive glass relentlessly. He was great at getting to the line as well and went 9-10 in one of the games. Had a game where he had 24 and 10.

Stanley Umude

Might have been the best overall player at the PIT and has a great chance at making it to the NBA sooner or later based on his size, frame, skill, and athleticism. Exploded for huge dunks and shot it well from 3. Also the best mid post iso player at the event. Was able to get to the rim and also hit tough step backs and fadeaways. Can guard multiple positions, maybe all of them if he were to go overseas.

Grant Golden

Showed incredible passing vision at Portsmouth as well as his usual productive self on the interior. Used angles to score and was a beast on the offensive glass. Had great body control. Hit a number of threes from Pick and Pop action or as a trailer, showing decent form and not much hesitation. You can tell he is a high IQ player and will produce at any level. Amazing overall passer, from double teams, the high post, on outlets, etc. Can even grab and go at this size. A good example of how live scouting can improve stock. He's much bigger and stronger in person than he looks on film. Complete player.

Gaige Prim

After a slow start in his first game, he showed everybody that he belonged at this level with a dominating remainder of the weekend on the inside. We had questions of his competition level and lack of competition against bigger players but he put all of those questions to rest. Used his big body and good angles to score. Might have had the best motor of any big. He was always the first one down the court and was always looking to duck in. High IQ interior passer. Showed good athleticism as well which was something that we could not see on film.

Ryan Hawkins

Exploded in the last game of the weekend with 24 points on 5-10 from deep. Stretched the defense all weekend and showed flashes of an inside game as well. Used good floaters and stretch finishes when attacking the rim.  Answered potential questions regarding his defensive prowess by guarding the perimeter extremely solidly. 

Keve Aluma

Played solidly all weekend but had a great outing in his final game with 24 points and 6 rebounds. Consistently showed the ability to stretch the floor with 3 straight threes in the second half. Struggled a bit to guard bigs inside but did a nice job guarding smaller players with above-average lateral mobility. He was a matchup nightmare all weekend on the offensive end. Will be a great stretch 4 at the next level. Also more athletic than expected. 

Fabian White Jr

Might have been the best three-point shooting big all weekend aside from Ryan Hawkins. Brings the size/strength and ability to guard 5s. The ultimate floor spacer on offense, zero hesitation and a consistent form and release on his long-range attempts. Not known for his offensive skills in the post but he crashes the offensive glass hard and even had a poster dunk on a putback. 

Jeriah Horne

Smaller than expected (6'5'' w/o shoes) but still had an impressive showing. Extremely mature in his decision-making. Uses fakes. Pick-and-pop threat. Guards smaller players much better than anticipated. Might have 3-and-D upside in NBA circles. 

Alonzo Verge

Clearly a fan favorite at Churchland High School. Has the flair and personality to fill the stands wherever he might end up. Tremendously quick and shifty, with great handles. Seems to have large hands which is always a plus. Decision-making still needs some work, although he certainly brings the necessary court vision.