UD’s Camara gets off to strong start in pre-NBA draft showcase

Here are some reactions on Twitter from scouts and analysts who watched the game:

• “Toumani Camara might be the best prospect and most NBA ready prospect at Portsmouth,” wrote Adam Bartoshevich, an independent basketball consultant.

• “(Camara) has another gear athletically compared with most players here and showed good versatility making shots, rolling and taking slower defenders off the dribble,” wrote ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

“The Belgian forward brings high-level defensive versatility with good passing vision, physicality as a driver, and solid touch around the rim,” wrote Austin Nelson, of NextStep Basketball.

Camara’s team included Saint Louis guard/forward Javonte Perkins, who had four points in 21 minutes.

On Thursday, in his second game, Camara scored 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 97-81 loss to Portsmouth Sports Club, which got 15 points from Ohio State forward Justice Sueing and 36 points for Southern Utah guard Tevian Jones.

Camara’s team will play one more game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Camara’s invitation to the event was announced Sunday. The Portsmouth Invitational gives 64 college basketball seniors from across the country the chance to compete in front of professional scouts. Eight teams of eight players compete in a 12-game tournament in four days.

Camara has one season of eligibility remaining if he chooses to use it because the 2020-21 season didn’t count against anyone’s eligibility because of the pandemic. He participated in the Senior Day ceremony at UD before the final game of the regular season but has not made any announcements about his future plans.

According to the Portsmouth Invitational, a player who competes in the event and decides to return to college can petition the NCAA to do so. That happened with one player last year. Courtney Ramey, of Arizona, served a three-game suspension after playing in the Portsmouth Invitational.

In a preview of the Portsmouth Invitational, Maxwell Baumbach, of NoCeilingsNBA.com, wrote a scouting report on all 64 players and wrote this about Camara: “Toumani Camara will have one big advantage over the pack, and that’s the fact that he’s an NBA-caliber athlete. He’s big and strong, and he moves well for a player his size (listed at 225 pounds). His defensive game provides the versatility NBA teams are hungry for. He’s quick enough to guard down with the power and leaping ability to deal with bigger players.