Holman to Participate in Portsmouth Invitational

PORTSMOUTH, Va.-- University of Detroit Mercy graduated senior Eli Holman is one of 64 outgoing senior college basketball players to be invited to the 2012 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The tournament runs April 11-14.

Holman, a 6-foot-10 center from Richmond, Calif., just finished a superb career in the Titan red. The transfer from Indiana University became the 36th member of the 1,000-point club in Titan history (1,024) and he leaves the school ranked second all-time in blocked shots (163).

Holman garnered Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year accolades this season after leading the Titan efforts off the bench. Following a leave of absence, his season debut came on Dec. 8 against Western Michigan-- a game that saw him come off-the-bench and score 21 points, grab seven rebounds and block four shots in just 19 minutes of work. He finished his career with his 29th double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament Second Round game vs. Kansas (March 16).

His eight-man squad at the P.I.T. also includes fellow big men Greg Mangano of Yale and Harvard's Keith Wright. NCAA leading scorer Reggie Hamilton of Oakland University and Wisconsin standout Jordan Taylor headline the backcourt for the Cherry, Bekaert and Holland squad. Chace Stanback (UNLV), Jason Clark (Georgetown) and Larry Anderson (Long Beach State) round out the roster. The team is coached by Larry Smith and Ben Moore.

The Titan center will look to follow in the footsteps of former UDM star Willie Green, who used a 2003 invite to the P.I.T. to showcase his all-around game. Green would later be selected with the 12th pick in the second round of the '03 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics and is currently in his first season with the Atlanta Hawks and ninth overall in the NBA.

MORE ON THE PORTSMOUTH INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Each year for 58 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 mid-70's when players like Dave Cowens, John Lucas, Walt Szczerbiak 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.