Josh Duncan Earned All-Tournament Honors At Portsmouth Invitational :: All Three Xavier Seniors Played In The Tournament

	Printer-Friendly Format E-mail this article Josh Duncan continued his standout play at the Portsmouth Invitational.

Josh Duncan Earned All-Tournament Honors At Portsmouth Invitational

All Three Xavier Seniors Played In The Tournament

April 14, 2008

CINCINNATI - -

The three Xavier Musketeer seniors that led XU to the NCAA Tournament "Elite Eight" all played in the 2008 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Virginia, which concluded this past weekend. In fact, Josh Duncan added another award to his trophy case by being named to the All-Tournament Team while leading his Tidewater Sealants Team to the Tournament Championship. The trio of XU All-Atlantic 10 Conference standouts that played in Portsmouth included Duncan (A-10 Sixth Man of the Year and A-10 Second Team), Stanley Burrell (A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, A-10 All-Defensive Team and A-10 Third Team) and Drew Lavender (A-10 Second Team).

Each of the Musketeers played in three games between Wednesday, April 9 and Saturday, April 12. This year's tournament was the 56th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.), a showcase for outstanding basketball players in their senior year of college. It is recognized by NBA and European scouts as the premier showcase for future professional players. The P.I.T. is the only tournament for college seniors to participate in and be evaluated by the National Basketball Association prior to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando.

Duncan averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while earning a spot on the Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team. Burrell averaged 6.7 assists in his three games while playing his usual standout role on defense. Lavender averaged 8.7 points and 4.3 assists in his three games.

Duncan, who led Xavier in scoring at 12.4 ppg., earned a spot on the five-member NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team. Duncan, who scored a team-high 18.3 ppg. during the NCAA Tournament, earned CBS/Chevrolet Game MVP honors for each of Xavier's three 2008 NCAA Tournament wins, including a career-high 26 points in the win over West Virginia.

Burrell was voted the 2007-08 Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the A-10 coaches and earned a spot on the National All-Defensive Team for rivals.com and the National Defensive All-America Team selected for collegeinsider.com. Burrell was also named by Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated and CBS) as the Captain of the ninth annual "All-Glue" Team.

Lavender, who set himself apart as one of the nation's best point guards again this season, was on one of the six regional covers for Sports Illustrated for the publication's tournament issue. Lavender is the first Xavier player ever to be the primary focus on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Lavender averaged 10.8 ppg. and a team-high 4.5 apg. this season.

All three seniors finished their careers with over 1,000 collegiate points. Burrell finished his career 12th on XU's all-time scoring list with 1,612 points in four seasons as a Musketeer. Josh Duncan, who became a member of XU's 1,000 Point Club in the game against Saint Joseph's at Cintas Center this season, finished his career 26th on XU's all-time scoring list with 1,210 points. Lavender, who played his first two years at Oklahoma, finished his collegiate career with 1,428 career points and 548 career assists.

Xavier, 30-7, secured its third straight 20-win season and its 11th 20-win season in the last 12 years. The 30 wins broke the school record. Xavier, 14-2 in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference regular season race, won sole possession of its second straight Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship.

Xavier University will honor the record-setting 2007-08 Musketeers at the annual awards banquet, which will be held Tuesday, April 15 at Cintas Center.