The 2026 PIT Diaries: Day Four
Stephen Gillaspie closes out with his thoughts on the final day of the 2026 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
My final day in Portsmouth was just as much fun as the three previous days. Early in the morning, my cohost, Jam Hines, headed home, but we were able to do a podcast recapping the second and third days of the tournament. Soon after we were finished, I had to upload the show and head out, as the games on the last day kicked off at 12:30 pm ET. Once I got into the gym, I was a little surprised by how many people were in attendance. Typically, the final day can be a little thin in the bleachers, but there were a lot of fans, media, and scouts present. I credit that to how awesome the players have been this year.
I was able to link up with a few friends, some scouts, and make some new friendships as well. The games were all so much fun, and the time truly flew by today—which was a nice change-of-pace from how the three previous days went. While I was excited to make a break for the doors once the championship game was over, there was obviously a part of me that will miss hanging out in the gym and seeing quality basketball being played.
Salute to the Draft Sickos who were there, and to those who kept up with the 2026 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament online!
Most Impressive Players
Kowacie Reeves Jr. | Wing | Georgia Tech | 6’7” | 194 | 6’10.5” WS
Stats: 34 PTS, 10 REBS, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 13/18 FG, 3/7 3P, 5/5 FT
I’ll start out by saying that what has impressed me the most about Kowacie is how much he improved from game to game to game. Coming into Day Four, Reeves was averaging just under 18 PPG. His confidence was incredibly palpable. His first noteworthy possession came from a drive and kick to Donovan Atwell—which was one of the few times Atwell missed. Still, ‘Wacie felt confident enough to come down the court and throw down an emphatic dunk. There was a great balance between some at-rim finishing and smooth shooting from deep. Beyond the scoring, Reeves was aggressive on the boards and on defense. His hustle led to him coming down with rebounds in traffic that took some by surprise. On top of the great intel on Kowacie, the steady improvements in the tournament, coupled with the long-standing three-point efficiency, should be enough to earn him an invite to Chicago.
