Augsburg's Devean George invited to Portsmouth Invitational!

Follow all the action at the Portsmouth Invitational -- Click here to read updates from Nathan Tidwell Jr. of The Sports Weekly Journal!

More updates of the Portsmouth Invitational from the Virginia Beach Virginian-Pilot -- Click here!

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament's Official Site -- click here!

For Augsburg's Devean George page, click here!

Augsburg Devean George invited to attend Portsmouth Invitational pro exposure camp

MINNEAPOLIS (3/24/99) -- Augsburg College men's basketball player Devean George (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) was named Monday as one of 64 players to attend the Portsmouth Invitational, a camp for the top collegiate players in the nation to show their skills to be potentially drafted or signed by NBA teams.

The camp will be held in Portsmouth, Va., March 31-April 3. George is one of only two NCAA Division III players to be invited to attend the camp. Andy Panko of Lebanon Valley College (Pa.), a 6-9 forward, is the other.

The Portsmouth camp is the first of three development camps for NBA prospects, leading up to the NBA Draft June 30 in Washington, D.C. The other camps will be held in Phoenix, Ariz., and Chicago. Each camp is considered a "stepping stone" for players to progress toward the league's draft.

George, a 6-8 guard/forward, is trying to become the first Division III player drafted by an NBA team since 1991, when Lamont Strothers of Christopher Newport (Va.) was drafted by Golden State. George would be the second Augsburg player ever drafted by an NBA team. Greg Boone, who played for the Auggies from 1979-81, was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as a late-round pick in 1981, but never played in the NBA.

At least a half-dozen NBA teams have contacted Augsburg regarding George. He has already had a workout with the Toronto Raptors, and has a workout scheduled with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday morning.

George was considered one of the top players in Division III basketball this season, averaging 27.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game -- one of only two players in Division III to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. George was named the Most Valuable Player of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the second straight year this season. The Auggies finished 24-4 this season, winning the MIAC regular-season title and advancing to the Division III national playoffs, each for the second year in a row.

George, who played in 96 games in his career, finished with 2,258 career points, just 13 points away from the school career record, held by current coach Brian Ammann (2,271 points when he played for the Auggies from 1981-85). George finished with 868 career rebounds, also second in school history (Dan Anderson, 1961-65, holds the record with 1,211).

George scored in double figures 92 times in his 96 career games, including a streak of 85 of his final 86 games. He had 37 double-doubles (points-rebounds), including 21 this season and a streak of 12 consecutive double-doubles to close his career. He had three 40-plus point scoring performances this season, including an MIAC single-game record 52 points in an overtime win at Carleton in January.

Auggie teams were 71-25 in games George played during his career, including a 46-8 mark (37-3 in conference games) during the past two seasons. His career scoring average of 23.5 points per game is the best in school history.