PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Hampton Roads went two years without its biggest college basketball tournament, but the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has finally returned to the 757.
The event got underway Wednesday night, bring some of college basketball's top players to the area, giving them a chance to showcase their skills in front of pro scouts.
The event marks a homecoming for Providence center Nate Watson, a Portsmouth native. The former Churchland High School standout is coming off of a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where he helped lead the Friars to their first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 25 years.
He returned to his old stomping grounds for the event, which is held at Churchland, and he had the chance to reminisce on his past as a young hoops player while also looking ahead as an NBA hopeful.
"It's very wild. Life did a full circle, you know? I'm back where it all started," Watson said. "Churchland High School is where I fell in love with the game an so, you know, it's just a good experience just to be back and playing in front of my home crowd and my family.
"I'm just trynna show scouts that I can do more than just post up score. I gotta go out there and rebound, I gotta go out there and be the first to the floor. I gotta do the little things and that's gonna show up when the scouts look at it."
Also playing int he PIT is Virginia Tech's Keve Aluma, along with Jacob Gilyard and Grant Golden of Richmond.
The tournament runs through Saturday.
