It’s official: Kris Bankston will be the second Norfolk State University player on the court at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
NSU head coach Robert Jones tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that Bankston has been invited to the prestigious camp. This news comes on the heels of Joe Bryant Jr. being selected to compete last week.
Since its inception, the PIT has been a place for players from small colleges to showcase their skills in front of NBA scouts. Former NBA players from HBCUs like Winston-Salem State’s Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Southern’s Avery Johnson, Virginia Union’s Ben Wallace as well as former NSU star Kyle O’Quinn have previously starred in Portsmouth.
O’Quinn was selected by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. No other HBCU player has been selected since then.
Kris Bankston is a 6’9 forward from Little Rock, AR. He had an All-MEAC season for Norfolk State University in 2022-2023, averaging 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting just under 69 percent from the field while playing just under 30 minutes per game.
All of those numbers were career-highs for Bankston, who helped NSU win the 2022 MEAC regular season and tournament titles. He started his career at Arkansas-Little Rock before transferring prior to the 2021-2022 season.