
DATE: Tuesday, April 1, 1997                TAG: 9704010495

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BATTINTO BATTS JR., STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:  118 lines

IT'S GOT PLAYERS AND THE NBA; NOW, TOURNEY JUST NEEDS FANS PORTSMOUTH LEADERS HOPE MORE MARKETING WILL HELP EVENT, CITY

When 64 men's college basketball players come to town this week for the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, they'll be chasing the fruits of an NBA career - a possible seven-digit salary, product endorsements and going one-on-one against Michael Jordan.

But the PIT isn't just a chance for players to reach the big time. Portsmouth leaders say it's an opportunity to enhance the city's image as a place to visit and spend money, no small issue in a city bent on economic revival.

The 45-year-old tournament - the first of three ``camps'' held prior to the June NBA draft - consistently attracts talented college players and NBA executives such as Hall of Famer Jerry West.

It's heaven for a basketball junkie.

But selling out PIT games in recent years has been as difficult as beating Jordan's Chicago Bulls. The tournament has not sold out since moving from Woodrow Wilson High into Churchland High School's 4,000-seat gym in 1992. Average nightly attendance has been about 2,900.

Why? No one is sure. One theory is people are burned out on basketball after March Madness. Yale Dolsey, one of the PIT's founders and a member of the tournament's executive board, thinks poor marketing is to blame.

``I have people call me and ask me when the tournament is going to be held,'' Dolsey said. ``We need better pre-publicity throughout our area to make people aware.''

Making the PIT more attractive is a priority, city officials say.

Improved marketing of the tournament is part of Portsmouth's plan to attract more visitors and restore itself as a major player in the region's economy, said Ken Wheeler, the city's director of marketing and communications.

Although ticket proceeds go to cover tournament costs as well as scholarships and to benefit local charities - more than $300,000 since it began - people who come to watch the games spend money in Portsmouth's shops and stores, eat in its restaurants and sleep in its hotels.

``One of the keys to marketing the city is to have different attractions,'' Wheeler said. ``We have museums, several festivals and numerous arts activities.

``The PIT is another one that adds to that and it appeals to a particular market. It is a tremendous asset - the kind of asset that if the city didn't have we would be at the drawing board trying to come up with something like it.''

But Wheeler doesn't think marketing and advertising alone will fill the seats. Although no plans have been formally discussed, Wheeler said it's possible the tournament could expand its corporate sponsorship and obtain national television coverage to help sell more tickets.

Because the tournament has room to grow, Wheeler said athletic apparel companies such as Foot Locker and the Sports Authority might be willing to buy tickets and give them to their workers or customers as part of a promotional agreement. The tournament has no such agreement with a national corporate sponsor now.

``I think that would help get the word out,'' Wheeler said. ``We could use the empty seats as a resource.''

Tournament organizers say corporate sponsorship is something they have considered, but not strongly pursued due to concern about losing focus.

``We've never been able to find that corporate niche,'' said Mahlon Parker, director of the PIT's executive board. ``We don't want to lose the way we've done it. We don't want anyone to tell us how to do it. But that doesn't mean we would be opposed to anyone coming in.''

Corporate sponsorships and television contracts were foreign to those who started the tournament in 1952.

``Nobody anticipated it would come to be what it is today,'' said James ``Booty'' Baker, one of the tournament's founders and also a member of the executive board. ``It has gained a lot of notoriety.''

The PIT began as a tournament for local amateur basketball teams to compete against each other. Armed service teams from the USS Coral Sea and Langley Air Force Base were among the first to play. Then local businesses began sponsoring teams and recruiting players from college teams to augment their rosters.

The PIT soon caught the NBA's attention, and scouts began coming to Portsmouth looking for players.

In 1976, a committee was formed to select aspiring pro players for the tournament. Only those who have used all their college eligibility are invited.

Old Dominion's Odell Hodge is one of the 64 players hoping to increase his status as a potential pro player at this year's PIT. The 6-foot-9 Hodge was known at ODU for his inside shooting and rebounding.

``The scouts know what I can do around the basket,'' Hodge said. ``I need to show them my jump shot and work on my free throw shooting. If you want to play professional basketball you have to go out there and play your butt off.''

The PIT has certainly proven itself as a stop on the road toward an NBA career. Some of the players who have shown their skills in Portsmouth: Scottie Pippen, Rick Barry, John Stockton, Dave Cowens and Dennis Rodman.

``I don't know what the NBA would do without the PIT,'' said Marty Blake, the NBA's director of scouting. ``I don't know of any tournament in the world that is better run.''

The dedication of the tournament's creators and other volunteers have made it a success, Blake said.

``This is a labor of love,'' Blake said.

Because of all the hard work and dedication that has gone into making the PIT as successful as it is, Dolsey and the other organizers want to see the tournament continue to grow.

``This is an opportunity for Portsmouth to show itself,'' Dolsey said. ``You hear so many bad things about Portsmouth and other cities. But when you have something good you have to explore it. This tournament should be sold out before it opens.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Yale Dolsey, one of PIT's founders

Graphic

PORTSMOUTH LEADERS

THE EVENT What: 45th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

Who's playing: Top college seniors from around the country who

are hoping to be drafted by the NBA or play professionally overseas.

Where: Churchland High School

When: Wednesday through Saturday. Games at 7 and 9 p.m. daily.

Championship is 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $7 per session or $22 for a tournament book. May be

purchased at Willett Hall and all Ticketmaster locations.

Information: 393-5144