2009 Portsmouth Invitational - Official Rosters

Oh yeah, it's about that time. The time when some of the players we've enjoyed watching in college for 4 years will be competing against each other for the right to get drafted by the NBA. Just like last year, I will be keeping track of all the action to see who is and who isn't performing well.

Here are the rosters, via Draft Express:

CHERRY, BEKAERT & HOLLAND

Chris Johnson LSU C 6' 11"
Korvotney Barber Auburn PF 6' 7"
Josh Bostic Findlay SF 6' 5"
Jon Brockman Washington PF 6’ 7”
Wesley Matthews Marquette SG/SF 6' 5"
Lorrenzo Wade San Diego State SF/PF 6' 6"
Levance Fields Pittsburgh PG 5' 10"
Ben Woodside North Dakota State PG 5' 11"

Who I'm Checking For:

- Wesley Matthews is an interesting prospect, since he spent most of his time playing small forward for Marquette. Now he will probably get the chance to show what he can do as a straight up shooting guard. He was an efficient scorer this season, shooting 47.5% from the floor, 82.9% from the line, and 36.8% from three, while averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, & 1.2 steals per game.

- Levance Fields was a great college player, but I kind of see him as the next Mateen Cleaves or Khalid Al-Emin. He'd be a decent backup point guard but offensively I don't expect much out of him.

- We know Ben Woodside can score and shoot it from the outside, but is he quick enough for the NBA on both sides of the ball? It will be interesting to see how he does against some top notch college talent.

K&D ROUNDS LANDSCAPING

Aron Baynes Washington State C 6' 10"
Robert Dozier Memphis PF 6' 9"
Courtney Fells NC State SG/SF 6' 6"
Stefon Jackson Texas-El Paso SG 6' 5"
Kevin Rogers Baylor PF 6' 9"
Jimmy Baron Rhode Island SG 6' 3"
Byron Eaton Oklahoma State PG 5' 11"
Ron Steele Alabama PG 6' 1"

Who I'm Checking For:

- At, 6'9, Robert Dozier has the NBA size to be a SF or PF, however, I think he'd be more valuable defensively as a SF if he can handle the task. If he's in the NBA, then he's probably a role player, but if he has the potential to be a 5th option, defensive minded type SF on a contending team.

- Of course I will be checking for URI's Jimmy Baron, but he he's going to get torched on defense, so don't get your hopes up. I also think someone else will emerge from the rest of the players and play well. Whether they are drafted is another story though.

NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD

Alade Aminu Georgia Tech PF/C 6' 10"
Bamba Fall SMU C 7' 1"
Lawrence Kinnard UAB PF 6' 8"
Marcus Landry Wisconsin PF 6' 7"
B.J. Raymond Xavier SF 6' 6"
David Holston Chicago State PG/SG 5' 8"
A.J. Price UCONN PG 6' 2"
Ryan Toolson Utah Valley SG 6' 4"

Who I'm Checking For:

- A.J. Price is an interesting case because he's an electric scorer who hits a ton of tough jumpers and runners in the lane and shoots the ball well from three. However, he is only shooting 41.6% on the season, which is pretty bad for a guard. Seems like he needs a lot of shots to get his points, but he has been shooting much better in the NCAA Tournament. He's not a natural playmaker as PG, but I think he can make the NBA as a bench player for now at least.

- There's some height on this squad, especially 7'1 Bamba Fall, who I have never even heard of. Bamba is from Senegal, which means he's probably pretty raw, and he only averaged 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds a game this season, but with his height you know NBA teams are going to watching him closely looking for signs that he can make an improvement.

- B.J. Raymond is 6'6, can hit the three, and played for a defensively minded Xavier squad. Remind you of anyone? Yup, he could be a James Posey type in the NBA, but I'm not exactly sure how good he is on D, even though his team was strong in that area. The fact he only averaged a half steal a game probably suggests he's not the next James Posey. Still he has NBA size, so he should at least get a look.

NORFOLK SPORTS CLUB

Jeff Adrien UCONN PF 6' 7"
Connor Atchley Texas PF 6' 10"
Lee Cummard Brigham Young SF 6' 7"
Lawrence Hill Stanford SF/PF 6' 8"
Ahmad Nivins St. Joseph PF/C 6' 9"
Wink Adams UNLV PG 6' 0"
Curtis Jerrells Baylor PG 6' 1"
Jermaine Taylor Central Florida SG 6' 4"

Who I'm Checking For:

- You know I'll be checking for Jeff Adrian, but since he is slightly on the small side for an NBA PF, I think he'd better start practicing his mid-range jump shot a little more. There's always a spot for the Corliss Williamson/Clearance Weatherspoon/Craig Smith types in the NBA, so Adrian should get a legit shot to play, but it will most likely be as a bench player.

- Ahmad Nivins is a straight up beast averaging 19.2 points. 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks a game, while shooting 61.2% from the field this season. He has good enough size to be an NBA PF and I think he's a sure bet to get drafted.

PORTSMOUTH PARTNERSHIP

John Bryant Santa Clara C 6' 10"
DeMarre Carroll Missouri PF 6' 8"
Geoff McDermott Providence PF 6' 8"
Josh Akognon Cal State Fullerton SG 5' 11"
Alonzo Gee Alabama SF 6' 6"
Aaron Jackson Duquesne PG 6' 4"
Robert Vaden UAB SG 6' 5"
A.D. Vassallo Virginia Tech SF 6' 6"

Who I'm Checking For:

- DeMarre Carroll is a nice college player, but I don't see him doing one thing well enough to be successful in the NBA. He's not big enough in the body or explosive enough to be a PF and when he shoots from the outside, he just looks awkward to me. Unless he can channel his inner-Ryan Gomes, then I just don't see DeMarre making the cut. He does have good numbers though, shooting 55.8% from the field and 36.4% from three, while averaging 16.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game. He did only hit 16 three's on the season though and I don't think he has NBA range.

- Obviously, I will be keeping an eye on Geoff McDermott, but he is horrific on offense and I don't see him having any chance here. Super-scorer Josh Akognon and three-point specialist Robert Vaden are definitely two guys to watch though.

PORTSMOUTH SPORTS CLUB

Goran Suton Michigan State C 6' 10"
Antonio Anderson Memphis SG/SF 6' 6"
Weyinmi Efejuku Providence SG 6' 5"
Taylor Griffin Oklahoma PF 6' 7"
Leo Lyons Missouri PF 6' 9"
Sam Young Pittsburgh SF 6' 6"
A.J. Abrams Texas SG 5' 11"
Tyrese Rice Boston College PG 6' 1"

Who I'm Checking For:

- My first impression of this team is that it is loaded, which could be a bad thing for my boy Weyinmi Efejuku. Efejuku really stepped his game up this year for PC once he decided to drive to the basket more. He went to the line 186 times this season in total. He has great athleticism and I think he has a chance to open some eyes.

- Sam Young is a late-first round draft pick and will be trying to get himself into the lottery by playing in this tournament. His age and lack of upside could prevent him from getting drafted that early, but I'm sure he's hoping he can follow the path of Al Thornton. I love Young's game and think he could play right away for whoever drafts him. I can't wait to see if that pump fake works in the NBA too.

- Leo Lyons in my mind is a better NBA prospect than DeMarre Carrol. He has better size at 6'9 244, so he should be able to play some PF. I liked the touch I saw on his mid-range jumper and he seems pretty agile. I think he can help an NBA sqaud off the bench.

- Antonio Anderson is hoping to become the next Bruce Bowen. A solid defender he is, but he can't shoot the 3 right now, so he should be working on that every day for the rest of career.

- Tyrese Rice is explosive on the offensive end and has some quality point guard skills, but he also is inconsistent and not that efficient with his shot. I think his size is what does him in, but he should get a look for sure and I think a team will take a chance on him. I think he has a better chance than A.J. Abrams, because of the passing ability and he is more explosive.

SALES SYSTEMS LTD

Scott VanderMeer Illinois-Chicago C 7' 0"
Michael Bramos Miami (Ohio) SF 6' 5"
Josh Carter Texas A&M SF 6' 7"
Jeff Pendergraph Arizona State PF/C 6' 9"
K.C. Rivers Clemson SG/SF 6' 6"
Diamon Simpson St. Mary PF 6’ 7”
Paul Delaney III UAB PG 6' 2"
Kyle McAlarney Notre Dame PG 6' 0"

Who I'm Checking For:

- Josh Carter has size and can shoot, so he will get a look. He doesn't do anything else well though. He could be one of those guys who goes undrafted, but ends up making a team at some point, maybe like Anthony Morrow.
- Jeff Pendergraph is an efficient player, shooting 66.0% from the floor, while averaging 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. I think he lacks toughness though, so he should go out there and be aggressive if he hopes to get drafted.

- At 6'6, I actually think K.C. Rivers could be a sleeper here and get drafted. Not only does he have good size, but he shoots well from three over 39.0% the last three seasons. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game this season, so he is more than a 1 dimensional player. I definitely think he could make an impact here.

TIDEWATER SEALANTS

Garret Siler Augusta State C 7' 0"
Alfred Aboya UCLA PF 6' 9"
Micah Downs Gonzaga SF 6' 8"
Gary Wilkinson Utah State PF/C 6' 9"
Lewis Clinch Georgia Tech SG 6' 3"
Brandon Ewing Wyoming PG 6' 2"
Dominic James Marquette PG 5' 11"
Alex Ruoff West Virginia SG 6' 6"

Who I'm Checking For:

- This team just seems like the misfit team. A collection of guys who are either too small or too slow or not polished enough to make the NBA. I never liked Dominic James' game offensively. He is atheltic though, so I'm sure he'll get a look.

- Alfred Aboya is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who has actually surprised me with his play in the NBA this season.

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