General Information

History of the P.I.T.

Each year for 55 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.

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 scholarships to student athletes from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In 2007 there were seven scholarships awarded, 5 for $2,500 each and 2 for $3,000 each. Another $11,000 was given to local non-profit organizations and charities to help them make a difference in the local community, creating a grand total of $29,500 given back the community. 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".

Impact of the P.I.T.

The impact of the P.I.T. can be displayed in many ways. The economic benefit to the City of Portsmouth has been calculated and is evidenced by the many guests (players' families, players' college coaches, NBA and International scouts) who stay in Portsmouth hotels and dine at Portsmouth restaurants. The P.I.T. is a media frenzy. Each year over 150 newspapers across the country run articles about the P.I.T. and the players performing here. The P.I.T. has been the topic of numerous magazine articles in such magazines as Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and many other basketball publications. On the web, the tournament website gets 350,000 hits during the week of the tournament. Each year for the past five years the P.I.T. has been the topic of a 45-minute program on NBA-TV, highlighting the happenings of the tournament. The tournament has appeared on ESPN in the past and annually gets numerous segments on local television stations in the Hampton Roads area.

Future of the P.I.T.

The future of the tournament looks very bright. In 2002, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Foundation was formed and in 2005 the tournament's financial and operational control was placed under the Foundation, formerly a City program. This will enable the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament to be self-sufficient and create not only a prominent basketball legacy, but a heritage of contribution to the betterment of the quality of life in Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads region.