NCAA Men: Dan Trist to play in Portsmouth Invitational
Graduating forward Dan Trist of Lafayette has accepted an invitation to play in the 2015 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) to be held from 8-11 April. The PIT plays host to 64 of the nation's top seniors to take part in a four-day, twelve game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team, with Trist suiting up for team Mike Duman Auto Sales (Team 3).
Dan Trist: 2015 Patriot League Champion - Courtesy Lafayette Athletics
Trist, the unanimous selection to the 2015 All-Patriot League First Team, averaged 17.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 57.6% from the field as he led the Leopards to the Patriot League Tournament championship and a trip to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. His efficient scoring clip from the field had him ranked 17th in the nation.
"Getting the opportunity to play in such a prestigious tournament is really exciting," Trist stated. "I can't wait to get down there and start playing with the high-level guys this event attracts."
The 6'8 forward posted 8 double-doubles during the season and scored in doubled-digits in all but 4 of his games played. He also managed to score 20 or more points 13 times, including a career-high 29 points in a win against Bucknell. Demonstrating his ability to mix it with the best, Trist rounded out his 4-year collegiate career by posting a game-high 18 points with 9 rebounds in being knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by number 1 seed Villanova.
Eleven Australian men graduated from Division I ranks, and interestingly Trist is the only one to play in the Portsmouth Invitational. Notable absences include All-Conference USA First Team member Jeromie Hill of Texas San Antonio, All-America East First Team recipient Sam Rowley of Albany and All-Mountain West Third Team member Hugh Greenwood of New Mexico. Hill and Greenwood this past week signed with Mummu Athlete Management ahead of embarking on likely professional playing careers.