Apr. 14—Gonzaga and Spokane will be well represented later this week at the annual Portsmouth Invitational tournament.
Two members of the Zags’ backcourt, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle, along with Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart, a Spokane native and Mt. Spokane graduate, were selected to participate at the four-day showcase designed for standout college basketball seniors.
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Preliminary games at the Portsmouth, Virginia-based tournament will take place Wednesday and Thursday at Churchland High School, with playoff and consolation games happening Friday and Saturday. The tournament is comprised of eight teams, with 64 total players participating.
Hickman will play for a team sponsored by K&D Round’s Lanscape Servicses, joining Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo, Belmont’s Jonathan Pierre, Clemson’s Chase Hunter, Xavier’s Zach Freemantla, Dayton’s Nate Santos, Michigan State’s Jaden Akins and Ole Miss’ Sean Pedulla.
Battle is teaming up with Texas’ Kadin Shedrick, Marshall’s Obinna Anochili-Killen, Rhode Island’s Sebastian Thomas, Maryland’s Julian Reese, UCLA’s Kobe Johnson, Louisville’s Terrence Edwards Jr. and Vanderbilt’s AJ Hoggard on a team sponsored by Roger Brown’s Sports Bar & Restaurant.
Degenhart’s team, Norfolk Sports Club, also includes Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin, Missouri’s Tamar Bates, St. Joseph’s Erik Reynolds II, Appalachian State’s CJ Huntley, Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort, LSU’s Cam Carter and St. John’s Deivon Smith.
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During his fourth and final season at Gonzaga, Hickman averaged 10.9 points per game while leading the team in 3-point percentage (44.5%). Battle, who came to Spokane after stints at Butler, Temple and Arkansas, was the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.6 ppg and paced the team from the free -throw line at 93.2%.
Degenhart, the Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year, led the Broncos at 18.3 ppg and averaged 6.1 rebounds as a senior while leading BSU to a 26-11 record and semifinal appearance at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
Former Gonzaga center Oumar Ballo, who spent three seasons with ex-Zag assistant Tommy Lloyd at Arizona before finishing his career last year at Indiana, will also compete in the PIT. Ballo averaged 13.0 ppg and 9.1 rpg for an Indiana team that missed the NCAA Tournament.
Other representatives from the West Coast Conference to receive PIT invites include Saint Mary’s guard Augustas Marciulionis, the two-time conference player of the year, and Santa Clara’s Adama Bal, who earned All-WCC First Team recognition each of his last two seasons with the Broncos.
The last Gonzaga player to take part in the annual postseason tournament was guard Rasir Bolton, who’s now on his second professional stint overseas, playing for Spartak Subotica of the Serbian League.
