Jelani Hewitt

After a stellar career with Georgia Southern, Eagles guard Jelani Hewitt of Miramar, Florida, is getting a shot at playing in the NBA.

Hewitt was one of only 64 players in the nation to earn a spot in the 2015 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a four-day, 12-game tournament, held April 8-12 at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Virginia. The elite players performed in front of scouts from every NBA team. The tournament has led to the discovery of players such as John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen and many others.

“I got the chance to play against 63 top seniors in the country, which was a great experience,” said Hewitt. “I also got to play in front of NBA scouts from all 30 teams, so it was a blessing to be a part of that. I was honored to represent Georgia Southern University there.”

Before attending the tournament, Hewitt says he trained extensively with team manager Tim Dardy, and “got up tons of shots with the official NBA basketball, so I could get used to how they feel.”

Hewitt’s team, Cherry Bekaert, won the tournament and he says his agent is currently talking to different teams to set up further workouts.

Were Hewitt to make it to the NBA, he would be the third Eagle to do so. Georgia Southern guard Michael Curry played 11 seasons in the NBA, and later coached the Detroit Pistons. He is currently the head basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. Jeff Saunders entered the NBA in 1989 and played four seasons, and played internationally for several seasons after.