PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Quinnipiac forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) is one of 64 college basketball seniors to be invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament to be held April 8-11 in Portsmouth, Va.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has been held since 1953 and each year invites top college basketball seniors from the across the country to participate in the four-day, 12-game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. NBA greats such as John Stockton, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen played in the tournament following their collegiate careers.
"I am thrilled that Ousmane Drame will be attending the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament," said head coach Tom Moore. "He is the first Quinnipiac University player to earn such a prestigious invitation. It speaks to the improvement he has made and the growth of our program. I'd like to thank Ryan Blake and all the people at Portsmouth for believing enough in Ousmane's NBA potential."
The 6-foot-9 forward cemented himself among the greats to ever play at Quinnipiac University, leaving as the program leader in blocked shots and the Division I leader in rebounds. Drame finished with 1,361 career points, 1,108 rebounds and 217 blocks through his four year stint in Hamden. He compiled 44 career double-doubles, which tied him with Ike Azotam for the QU record.
The MAAC Defensive Player of the Year led the league in offensive, defensive and total rebounding, blocked shots, double-doubles and ranked among the leaders in free-throw percentage. Drame shattered Quinnipiac's record for most blocks in a single season (88), finishing 21 better than the previous record of 67. A testament to his basketball IQ, Drame avoided foul trouble and managed to log 29.1 minutes per game. He fouled out just three times on the year.
For more information regarding the event, fans may visit www.portsmouthinvitational.com. The website is equipped with player information, hotel information, previous records/players and more information about the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
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 five $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".