Memphis basketball: Jeremiah Martin's next step is Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
Jeremiah Martin made a college career out of proving people wrong.
The former three-star recruit etched his place in Memphis Tigers history with a strong junior season that was cut short by injury and a run his senior year that rewrote conference record books.
But now he'll have to do it all over again.
Martin hopes the next step in his basketball career will be the NBA, but the guard still has progress to be made if he wants to be drafted in June.
Martin's name does not appear on any of the most recent NBA mock drafts, and an invite to the draft combine seems unlikely considering he falls outside of ESPN's top 100 prospects.
So for the AAC's co-leading scorer this past season, he'll need to make the most of his opportunities to play in front of NBA scouts, beginning with the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia this week.
What is the Portsmouth Invitational?
Martin was one of 64 seniors selected to play in the four-day tournament, giving the Tigers guard a chance to play in front of representatives from every NBA team as well as overseas scouts.
Participants are divided into eight teams of eight players and square off in a tournament setting with each team guaranteed to play three games.
Several legends have played in the event over its 67-year history, including John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen. Perhaps the most recent NBA star to play in the tournament is Philadelphia's all-star guard Jimmy Butler.
One in four players in the Portsmouth Invitational the last two years have gone on to play in the NBA, according to the tournament's website. Every player to play in the event last season went on to play professional basketball, whether that be the NBA, G League, or overseas.
Making an impact
Martin's team this week includes AAC opponent DaQuan Jeffries of Tulsa, Indiana's Juwan Morgan, Virginia Tech's Justin Robinson and Mississippi State's Quinndary Weatherspoon.
The four guards on Martin's team each averaged over 13 points in their senior season, and six of the eight total players come from power conferences.
Martin's group won 91-89 win over opponents that featured players from Gonzaga, N.C. State and Clemson on Wednesday.
The Memphis senior finished with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said last month that he expected Martin to get an invite to the event.
"I'm here for him," Hardaway said. "If it's training, if it's phone calls, if it's whatever — I will be here to help him."
In the past, the Memphis Grizzlies have extended a tryout to some of the area's best college players, most recently former Tiger and Ole Miss Rebel Markel Crawford.
Martin's team will also play games Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Box scores for those contests can be found at portsmouthinvitational.com
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