Portsmouth Invitational Team Previews - Sales Systems Ltd.

C Derrick Nix (Michigan State) - Nix had perhaps his most memorable game of his career playing against Valparaiso in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this year. Nix is a huge body who is nimble on his feet and has soft touch around the basket. He's able to finish with both hands, throws around his weight well with a strong drop step, and has been coached up over the years by Tom Izzo. Nix gets over a third of his rebounds on the offensive end and his 1.1 steals per game shows that he is active on defense. He'll look to prove to scouts he can sustain that energy throughout an entire game and get out and defend ball screens on the perimeter.

SF James Ennis (Long Beach State) - James Ennis is one of the most explosive finishers in all of college basketball and participated in the college slam dunk contest. With his explosiveness, its no surprise that he is a great finisher at the rim and out in transition. He has great hangtime, but also shows the body control and strength to finish through contact. Ennis is still raw for the most part, but he's a gamer who fought hard to find ways to score. Defensively, he also has great potential but needs to play with a better court sense. His shooting has come along, but Id be hesitant to call him a reliable spot up option. With seasoning, Ennis could eventually make the NBA ala James White.

PF Ed Daniel (Murray State) - Daniel was a fringe invitee, but a guy I really felt was deserving and is capable of surprising people. He's an energy big who rebounds the ball with great intensity and is also very active and mobile on defense. He has a good basketball IQ and gets himself in good spots defensively to draw charges. Offensively, he has earned his stripes as a screener for Isaiah Canaan, but is also very fluid rolling off those screens and finishing towards the basket. If Daniel shows he can rebound well against the bigs in this event, then just maybe you will start hearing his name more often.

PG Brandon Triche (Syracuse) - Triche is a very well built guard who became a lot more aggressive this season attacking off the dribble. He's both explosive and strong getting to the lane and getting to the line is his biggest strength. Triche struggles in the mid-range area, however, and often gets himself in trouble because of it. His lack of mid-range game forces him to overpenetrate and try to muscle up some question shots at the rim and/or commit charges. Also, while he is a point guard, Triche has never been granting the main point guard duties in his four years at Syracuse. His shooting has also been suspect. Defensively, he has the tools to be a good defender but has been stuck in a zone his whole career. It will be interesting to see him play man to man at Portsmouth.

PG Khalif Wyatt (Temple) - Wyatt is a big time scorer at the college leve despite his athletic shortcomings. Wyatt can score on anybody because he doesn't rely on his athleticism, but instead relies on a bag full of tricks and hesitation moves. He knows how to draw fouls and has mastered the art of kicking his legs out on 3-pt shots. Wyatt is also a good and smart passer, although he isn't quick enough to get into the lane and constantly make plays for teammates. Instead, he uses his size to see over the defense for nice passes. When he gets into the lane, Wyatt is more often in scoring mode and looking to draw the defense off balance - which he does more often than not. At Portsmouth, it will be interesting to see him running the point with some scoring options around him and how he is able to get them the ball. We know he can score in any setting.

PG Rotnei Clarke (Butler) - Clarke isn't an NBA player, but is a dangerous shooter with unlimited range from behind the arc. After 3 seasons at Arkansas, he transferred to Butler for his senior season where he once again shot right around 40% from 3 on a high number of attempts. Despite only being 6'0 and lacking quickness, Clarke  only needs a little bit of space to get his shot off and has no problem in doing so. While NBA scouts likely won't be intrigued by what they see, Clarke is a guy who should catch the eyes of European scouts in attendance.

SF Carrick Felix (Arizona State) - Felix took an odd path to Arizona State, coming from a junior college and then originally committing to Duke. This year he finally broke out playing in a more open offense installed by Herb Sendek and ran by Jahii Carson. Felix played with a motor that was always running, putting in great work on the offensive glass and in transition. He also was able to stretch the defense out from behind the arc and defend the oppositions best player with intensity. Felix's style of play was very efficient and he also did a lot of things that didn't show up in the box score. He's a great athlete who will get a chance to show what else his offensive game consists of besides spot up jumpers and opportunities at the rim.

PF Jared Berggren (Wisconsin) - Berggren has the look of your typical Wisconsin player and in a lot of ways is. He wasn't highly recruited, redshirted his freshman year, and then sat on his bench much of the next two years until finally getting a chance to start his junior season. He earned his way into the rotation as just another piece on a really balanced offensive attack, but showed some intrigue with his combination of a post game and ability to hit jumpers form both the mid-range and 3-pt area. Berggren's toughness is also impressive and his improved rebounding this year is a good sign, even though he still leaves plenty to be desired and lacks both strength and athleticism. It will be interesting to see if he can stand out in Portsmouth or just blends in and looks like an average player. One thing that helps him is his defense - a very underrated aspect to his game.

Most likely draft pick?

Carrick Felix is not only the best player on this team, but one of the best prospects in the entire event. Fingers are still crossed that he stays in the event as other small forwards like Robert Covington and Solomon Hill have pulled their names out.

Summer League Stars?

James Ennis is the ideal summer league player, capable of putting on a show in Vegas. He's also a guy that can make the NBA with continued progression. Khalif Wyatt could earn a NBA roster spot with a good summer league performance while I see both Ed Daniel and Brandon Triche possibly making some noise in Vegas.

European Bound?

Rotnei Clarke, Jared Berggren, and Derrick Nix don't have much of a shot at the NBA, but all three of them have qualities that could make them appealing to European teams. Khalif Wyatt could also go this route and make himself a lot of money.

Scouting Report: Khalif Wyatt

After getting upset by 12th seeded South Florida in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Khalif Wyatt was poised to takeover the team in his senior season. Wyatt scored 19 points in that game while the rest of the team struggled - including the two other top scoring guards - Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore who combined to score a measley 6 points. With Moore and Fernandez departing, Wyatt was in line to become the senior leader and go-to-guy his senior year.

Unfortunately, things got off to a rough patch right away. This past summer, Wyatt was arrested in for soliciting a prostitute during his 21st birthday weekend in Vegas. Wyatt cooperated with authorities and ended up being cleared to play to start the 2012-13 season. Prior to that, Wyatt had missed a game at the beginning of his junior year for a "minor internal matter". 

Despite those red flags, Wyatt has displayed good leadership and character on the court and seems to be a good guy who just loves the game of basketball. Wyatt never allows himself to get to excited or disappointed on the basketball court, displaying the same demeanor even after hitting clutch shots or converting a 4 point play. NBA teams will certainly look into his arrest and prior suspension and its not a good thing for a fringe pro prospect to have on his resume, but those occurrences seem to just be lapses in judgement.

On the court, Wyatt is a complete gamer who has came up big when his team has needed him the most. Wyatt road the bench for his freshman year and the non-conference portion of his sophomore season, but earned playing time during conference play and ended up being a key component on a team that lost to San Diego State in 2OT for the right to go to the Sweet Sixteen. 

But that was only the beginning for Wyatt, who dropped 20+ points againt the likes of Duke, Texas, and Maryland - each time while converting over 50% of his field goals. His introduction to the national stage, however, came this year with a 33 point performance against #3 Syracuse en route to a huge upset victory. Wyatt followed that up by tossing in 26 against Kansas, 24 against St. Louis, 22 vs Butler, and a 35 point game against Duquesne where he attempted to carry the team on his back by himself - before losing by 1 point in OT. Then today, Wyatt notched 30 points in OT against a ranked VCU team, a win that could help secure their spot in this year's NCAA Tournament. Wyatt's season has put him in the immediate conversation for A-10 player of the year.

The best way to describe Wyatt's style of play is "old school". He has an old man's game that reminds you of the saavy player at your local rec center. Wyatt stands at 6'4 with a strong frame, but lacks ideal length and athleticism. To put it nicely - Wyatt isn't the fastest player around. And his body, covered by a baggy t-shirt, isn't the typical chiseled frame you are used to seeing.

He is strong, though. He shot 62% at the rim this year according to hoop-math.com which isn't great for an NBA talent, but for a guy who attacks the basket regularly with Wyatt's type of athleticism, it is impressive. The way Wyatt does it is by outsmarting opponents. There is a lot of junk in his game that he uses to throw off defenders. He's a master of drawing fouls inside and has the ability to adjust in the air and change his shot. Wyatt can barely dunk, but finishes some of the toughest shots in the lane you will see. He deals with contact in the lane at an exceptional level and can finish with either hand. And when he gets to the line, he usually converts - Wyatt shot over 82% from the line during his 4 years.

Wyatt's jumper extends well beyond the college 3-pt line as well. He can hit from anywhere on the court. While Wyatt doesn't have a devasting crossover to get open, he tends to coax defenders to sleep with his dribble and fades back slightly to get shots off. Wyatt's range extends beyond the NBA line even and his patented leg kick has sent him to the line after getting fouled multiple times to convert a 4-pt play. Wyatt isn't only great at drawing fouls inside the arc - he is truly a master of getting to the line all over the court.

In terms of passing, Wyatt is a combo guard through and through. He is a good passer and is unselfish, but he looks mainly for his own shot. You don't see Wyatt drive and dish a lot - for one, he isn't the type of guy to break down defenses and have them collapse on him. If they do, Wyatt sees this as a prime opportunity to hunt for contact and get himself to the line. So if Wyatt, is in the lane, he rarely is looking to kick it out to an open defender. That isn't to say he is selfish, that is just him playing to his strengths. Wyatt does do a good job of anticipating teammates getting open when he has the ball outside the arc. He delivers bullet passes with great timing to set up guys for easy looks at the basket. His height helps him see over defenders and he sees the court like a chess board. He can direct his teammates into good positions and see plays before they happen. 

The biggest concern with his game, and ultimately the reason why its unlikely he makes the NBA, is his defense. Wyatt is already behind the curve based on his physicall attributes and ability. He lacks the quickness to defend point guards - and even most SGs on the perimeter - and his length isn't good enough to contest jumpers of most wing players. Furthermore, Wyatt has never shown great intensity on the defensive end. His focus wanes and he can wander while looking for an opportunity to create a fastbreak. One thing Wyatt does well is get steals. Wyatt has very strong and quick hands and can strip guys going up for shots or  steal the ball from a ball handler. Wyatt has also never been a good rebounder.

Wyatt is unlikely to get drafted or ever become a known name by NBA fans, but his career should continue to blossom overseas or in the D-League. He is the kind of player who loves the game and will figure out how to put the ball in the basket against any competition. His games against teams like Syracuse prove that he can finish among great athletes and play with the best. He isn't a good enough shot creator, athlete, or defender for the NBA but will be a valuable player and make plenty of money elsewhere.