Wake Forest Athletics
Smith, McFarland Feature in Portsmouth Invitational
4/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 12, 2010
Portsmouth Invitational Website
PORTSMOUTH, Va.-- Wake Forest seniors Ishmael Smith and Chas McFarland took part in the Portsmouth Invitational last week, an event which allowed 64 college basketball players from around the country the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of over 200 NBA and international scouts.
The tournament consisted of eight teams with eight players apiece that competed in a double-elimination tournament. Each team played three games.
Smith started all three games for his team, leading all players in the tournament with 32 minutes per game. Smith 6.3 assists per game was good for third overall, behind Cal's Jerome Randle and Kansas State's Denis Clemente. Despite his 6-0 height, Smith averaged 6.7 rebounds per game, and finished tied for fifth in the tournament with 16 defensive rebounds.
McFarland started one game, and averaged 5.3 points and 6 rebounds per game. His four blocks tied him for ninth overall. McFarland's field goal percentage of 55.3 percent was 13th-best among all players.
Smith was a member of the Sales Systems Ltd. team that also featured Atlantic Coast Conference players Landon Milbourne (Maryland) and Zachery Peacock (Georgia Tech). Smith's team lost its opening round game 76-66 to the Roger Brown's team that included Michigan State's Raymar Morgan, Cal's Randle and Tennessee's Wayne Chism. Smith led his team with eight assists and 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Sales Systems rebounded in its first consolation game, defeating Devan Downey's (South Carolina) Cherry, Bekaert & Holland team 96-86. In the game, Smith scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. In its final game, Sales Systems fell to Tidewater Sealants, which featured North Carolina's Marcus Ginyard, 10-74. Smith had six points and six assists.
McFarland played on the Norfolk Sports Club team which also included Baylor's Tweety Carter. NSC defeated Tidewater Sealants 114-82 in the first round, with McFarland scoring four points and finishing second on his team with eight rebounds.
In the semifinals, Norfolk Sports Club lost 77-67 to K&D Rounds Landscaping, which featured North Carolina's Deon Thompson and Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes. McFarland notched six points and four rebounds. McFarland started the third-place game, in which NSC was nipped by Portsmouth Partnership, 87-84, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds.
The tournament was won by K&D Rounds Landscaping, which defeated Roger Brown's 86-78 in the championship game.
