Cleveland Invited to Play in Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
4/14/2026 10:36:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty senior forward Zach Cleveland has been invited to play in the 2026 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, held Wednesday through Saturday.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.), in its 72nd edition, will feature 64 college basketball seniors and be held at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. The four-day event will give players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of hundreds of NBA personnel and international scouts ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. There will be eight teams consisting of eight players each playing a 12-game tournament over four days.
This is the third time in the last four years the Flames have been represented at this prestigious event. Darius McGhee played in the P.I.T. in 2023, followed by Kyle Rode in 2024.
Cleveland will team up with Michigan State's Carson Cooper, Vanderbilt's Duke Miles, Miami Ohio's Peter Suder, USC's Ezra Ausar, Texas A&M's Rashaun Agee, LSU's Max Mackinnon and Bowling Green's Javontae Campbell.
Cleveland and his team, Portsmouth Partnership, will be coached by Erik Johnson, Evan Kee and Marwan Sarhan. Cleveland and his squad will play their first game on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Over the years, the P.I.T. has welcomed players that are now household names, like Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler and more.
Cleveland played his fourth and final season for the Flames during the 2025-26 campaign. The 2025-26 Conference USA Player of the Year, All-CUSA first team and NABC East District first team selection averaged 11.9 points (No. 3 on team), 7.6 rebounds (No. 1 on team), 6.9 assists (No. 1 on team), 1.3 blocks (No. 1 on team) and 1.3 steals (No. 3 on team) per game. The Bloomington, Ill. native's 6.8 assists per game led CUSA and ranked ninth nationally, and his 225 total assists were the third most in a single season in school history. His 6.64 defensive rebounds per contest also led the league and was the 14th-best mark in the country.
Cleveland shared the league lead with nine double-doubles and had the conference's only triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) on Feb. 7 against Missouri State. Cleveland also earned 2025-26 Lou Henson Award finalist and Early Season Watch List recognition and was a 2025-26 Nolan Richardson Award finalist while being named CUSA Player of the Week twice.
Cleveland finished his Liberty Flames career with several other awards: two-time NABC All-District team, three-time All-CUSA, two-time Lou Henson Award finalist and Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List, three-time CUSA Player of the Week, CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll and ASUN Academic Honor Roll. He etched his name in the record books, ending his time as a Flame ranked fourth in program history for career assists (569), eighth in rebounds (749), 25th in points (1,220) and second in blocks (127).
For all information pertaining from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, visit portsmouthinvitational.com. To stream games from the P.I.T., visit https://go.prepspin.com/.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.), in its 72nd edition, will feature 64 college basketball seniors and be held at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. The four-day event will give players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of hundreds of NBA personnel and international scouts ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. There will be eight teams consisting of eight players each playing a 12-game tournament over four days.
This is the third time in the last four years the Flames have been represented at this prestigious event. Darius McGhee played in the P.I.T. in 2023, followed by Kyle Rode in 2024.
Cleveland will team up with Michigan State's Carson Cooper, Vanderbilt's Duke Miles, Miami Ohio's Peter Suder, USC's Ezra Ausar, Texas A&M's Rashaun Agee, LSU's Max Mackinnon and Bowling Green's Javontae Campbell.
Cleveland and his team, Portsmouth Partnership, will be coached by Erik Johnson, Evan Kee and Marwan Sarhan. Cleveland and his squad will play their first game on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Over the years, the P.I.T. has welcomed players that are now household names, like Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler and more.
Cleveland played his fourth and final season for the Flames during the 2025-26 campaign. The 2025-26 Conference USA Player of the Year, All-CUSA first team and NABC East District first team selection averaged 11.9 points (No. 3 on team), 7.6 rebounds (No. 1 on team), 6.9 assists (No. 1 on team), 1.3 blocks (No. 1 on team) and 1.3 steals (No. 3 on team) per game. The Bloomington, Ill. native's 6.8 assists per game led CUSA and ranked ninth nationally, and his 225 total assists were the third most in a single season in school history. His 6.64 defensive rebounds per contest also led the league and was the 14th-best mark in the country.
Cleveland shared the league lead with nine double-doubles and had the conference's only triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) on Feb. 7 against Missouri State. Cleveland also earned 2025-26 Lou Henson Award finalist and Early Season Watch List recognition and was a 2025-26 Nolan Richardson Award finalist while being named CUSA Player of the Week twice.
Cleveland finished his Liberty Flames career with several other awards: two-time NABC All-District team, three-time All-CUSA, two-time Lou Henson Award finalist and Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List, three-time CUSA Player of the Week, CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll and ASUN Academic Honor Roll. He etched his name in the record books, ending his time as a Flame ranked fourth in program history for career assists (569), eighth in rebounds (749), 25th in points (1,220) and second in blocks (127).
For all information pertaining from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, visit portsmouthinvitational.com. To stream games from the P.I.T., visit https://go.prepspin.com/.
Zach ?? P.I.T. ??
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) April 14, 2026
??: https://t.co/jrTywilo3b pic.twitter.com/ZvnPPkCO2y
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