by GREEN BAY — Green Bay men’s basketball guard Sandy Cohen III (Oneida Nation) has been selected to participate in the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which brings together top collegiate senior players to participate in a four-day, 12-game tournament in front of NBA teams and fans. The PIT will be held April 17-20 in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Fans and media can get more information, including details on tickets, schedules and results, on the PIT web site at www.portsmouthinvitational.com.
Cohenset the Division I single season program record for most points in a season, finishing his career at 1,020 points. Cohen passed Tony Bennett and Jeff Nordgaard (both had 653) for the most points in season, scoring 666 points this year. The Seymour native will go down as one of the all-time greats to wear a Phoenix uniform, despite only playing in 60 career games. He was named All-Horizon League First Team this year and also landed on the CIT All-Tournament Team. He led GB in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, steals and minutes in 2018-19.
ABOUT THE PIT
History of the P.I.T.
Each year for 67 years the P.I.T has invited 64 of the best college basketball players (seniors) from across the nation to participate in a four-day, twelve game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. The tournament drew the attention of NBA Scouts and General Managers in the 1970’s when players like Rick Barry, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Lucas and Bobby Cremins came to Portsmouth to play. Soon the word spread and approximately 200 Scouts, General Managers and Representatives of all 30 NBA teams began to come to see players like John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen and others. Today scouts from numerous international leagues have joined in on the annual April pilgrimage to Portsmouth. Over the years the P.I.T. has been a showcase for five of the 50 greatest players in NBA History (Rick Barry, Earl ‘The Pearl” Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen) and for many others who have gone on to NBA stardom including 2015 NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.
Mission of the P.I.T.
The P.I.T. has always claimed to be “more than a basketball tournament”. Each year the P.I.T. contributes back to the community by awarding seven $4,000 scholarships to student athletes from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In addition to the scholarships, approximately $11,500 from the tournament proceeds is presented to local non-profit organizations and charities to help them make a difference in the local community, creating a grand total of over $31,500 given back the community each year. The contributions and scholarships have risen significantly over the years thanks to the support of local sponsors, advertisers, ticket sales, the City of Portsmouth and the NBA. Of course, the more than 100 volunteers involved in producing the tournament have a special place in the success of this wonderful event each year. Together they all make this “more than a basketball tournament”.
