Two of the major players in Arkansas Basketball’s success during the 2021-22 season will compete one more time as collegiate athletes.
Senior guards [autotag]Stanley Umude[/autotag] and [autotag]JD Nota[/autotag]e have been invited to compete in the Portsmouth Invitational that will be played April 13-16 in Portsmouth, Va. CC McCandless of Pig Trail Nation reported the news.
According to the Portsmouth Invitational website, 64 of the best college basketball players, who are seniors, from across the nation participate in a four-day, twelve-game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. NBA greats such as John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, and Jimmy Butler have competed in this event during its 67-year history.
The selection process is also explained on the website as well:
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Players must certify that they have not been “paid to play” in any basketball game or tournament in accordance with NCAA By-Laws 2-3(I).
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Players are selected for invitation to the PIT by the Player Selection Committee.
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The PIT considers players from NCAA Divisions I, II and III; as well as NAIA for inclusion in the tournament.
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When a player is selected, an invitation is sent to the men’s basketball office at their school. They are given a deadline to respond in order to reserve their spot in the tournament. Failure to respond by the deadline may result in the player being dropped for consideration and another player being invited in his place.
Both transfer student-athletes, Notae and Umude both contributed greatly to Arkansas’ successful season that ended with their second consecutive Elite 8 appearance.
In his only season as a Razorback, Umude averaged 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. For Notae, he emerged from being a solid bench option to one of the most valuable pieces to Arkansas’ success by leading the team in points with 18.3 points per game. Notae appeared in 36 games in 2021-22, starting in 35 of them.