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PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- For Patrick Ewing Jr., the invitation to Portsmouth has seemingly always been in the mail.

The postal code changed a few years back, as Ewing transferred from Indiana to Georgetown, but it arrived safe and sound, and with it the opportunity to follow in his father’s giant footsteps.

So, on the eve of this year’s PIT, Ewing and Hoya teammate Jonathon Wallace hopped in a car, drove three hours from Washington, D.C. to Portsmouth, and continued the pursuit of an NBA dream.

Kent State’s Haminn Quaintance took the road less traveled by. In fact, his travel log is unlike any player at this year’s camp. Not on the original list of invitees, Quaintance was invited at the 11th hour, then essentially hitched an 11-hour ride from Kent, Ohio for a chance to play in this year’s tournament.

Excusing the way in which each came to be at this year’s tournament, Ewing and Quaintance share a common bond. Neither has ever landed a starring role on a basketball court, and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon. But, this particular audition isn’t always about top billing.

Ewing made a name for himself this past season, winning the Big East Conference’s inaugural Sixth Man of the Year Award. A constant source of energy and athleticism off the bench, Ewing thrived in John Thompson’s system and turned himself into a player some feel would make an ideal role player in the NBA.

Some of those qualities were on display last night, as Ewing finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals, though his team, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland came up short against the Portsmouth Sports Club, 101-88.

Quaintance turned in a similar performance, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a host of defensive plays that unfortunately will never show up in a box score. There’s a reason Kent State won 28 games this year, and the main reason, according to coach Jim Christian (who recently left Kent State to become the head coach at TCU), was Quaintance.

He doesn’t fit the profile of an NBA draft pick. He’s a little undersized at 6-7 and can’t shoot a lick. He is an NBA caliber athlete, and that athleticism shows up in subtle ways, like running the floor, playing excellent help defense and making nifty interior passes.

VMI’s Reggie Williams led all scorers with 22 points, which shouldn’t come as a major surprise, considering he led the nation in scoring this season. Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll added 16 points, and Alabama’s Mykal Riley chipped in with 15.

Like some other players in the field, Carroll flirted with the NBA Draft last year, but returned to school for his senior year. One of the purest shooters in college basketball, Carroll is also an underrated athlete who isn’t afraid to mix it up. He averaged better than six rebounds this year, an impressive stat given his height (6-2). What hurts Carroll is that he’s much more of a two-guard. Carroll is also much older (he turns 25 on April 16) than the average prospect, having gone on a two-year Mormon mission.

Riley picked up where he left off this season at Alabama, making 3-of-7 from behind the arc. He made 43 percent of his three-point attempts this season. Riley also has good bounce and excellent speed. He’s extremely thin and will need to develop more physically to have a serious chance to stick at the NBA level.

In the nightcap, K&D Round’s Landscaping used a balance scoring attack to defeat Norfolk Sports Club, 90-78. George Mason’s Folarin Campbell led the way with 15 points. South Florida’s Kentrell Gransberry added 10 points and rebounds.

It took Gransberry a while to get in the flow. It might have been the uniform, which barely covered his massive 282-pound frame. He looks a little like the Boston Celtics’ Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who starred at LSU before being selected in the 2007 draft. Though not nearly as skilled, Gransberry has good feet for a player his size and is extremely active. It would help if his team actually ran a few plays for him, but Gransberry is on everybody’s radar screen, having excelled in a very strong Big East Conference.

Auburn’s Quan Prowell led Norfolk Sports Club with 19 points. Mississippi’s Dwayne Curtis added 14 points and Tennessee’s Chris Lofton chipped in with 12.

Like Gransberry, it took Lofton nearly three-quarters of the game to find some kind of flow. It still appears as if he’s struggling with his shot, which was the basic theme of his senior campaign. After averaging 20.8 points as a junior, Lofton averaged 15.5 this season, while his shooting percentage dipped under 40 percent. Seeing as how he projects as a shooting specialist at best, he’ll need to shoot at a higher clip to have a chance.

In the day’s opening game, Kentucky’s Ramel Bradley scored 22 points and Ohio State’s Othello Hunter added 18 points and 10 rebounds as Sales Systems defeated Holiday Inn Portsmouth, 92-84.

Though he finished with six assists, Bradley still needs to show better shot selection and the ability to run a team. Hunter had a very quiet senior season for the Buckeyes, but has looked pretty good in two games so far, running the floor and rebounding the ball.

Dayton’s Brian Roberts and Mississippi State’s Charles each scored 15 points for Holiday Inn Portsmouth.

After a quiet opener, Roberts flashed some of the ability that made him one of the top players in the Atlantic 10 three years running.

A picture-perfect shooter with a terrific release, Roberts got into a nice rhythm, at one point hitting 4-of-6 shots in a short span. He also did a nice job sliding over to the point, dishing out five assists. Though he’s primarily been a scorer at the college level, he does it in the flow and doesn’t over dribble and force bad shots. Another performance like this one should earn him a spot in Orlando.

Rhodes continues to bring energy, but needs to play to his strengths. He’s not a small forward, with the ability to handle and create shots for himself. He needs to run the floor, be active and make players closer to the basket. Rhodes should never hoist up 14 shots in 29 minutes. He should set 14 picks, crash the boards and do some of the dirty work that helps teams win. That’s his blue print for making the NBA.