Monday, March 13, 2006

Valpo seniors Dan Oppland (Saint Louis, Mo./Whitfield) and Mohamed Kone (Lyon, France/Jean Paul Sartre) have been selected to participate in the 2006 Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament (PIT) featuring the nation's top 64 senior basketball players.

The 54th annual PIT will be held April 5-8 at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. and gives players an opportunity to be evaluated by 200 NBA representatives according to www.portsmouthinvitational.com, the tournament's official website.

Past participants at the PIT include Scottie Pippen, Ben Wallace, Avery Johnson, Derek Fisher and Ruben Patterson.

Oppland, a three-time All-Conference selection, finished his career third all-time in points and rebounds at Valpo, and was named to three consecutive Academic All-District V teams. The 6'8" forward was third in the Mid-Con in scoring (19.8 points per game) and second in rebounding (8.0 per game) as a senior.

Kone, an Honorable Mention All-Conference choice in his only season as a Crusader, finished third in the Mid-Con in rebounds at 8.0 per game and led the league with 57 blocked shots.