BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU senior forward Justin Johnson has been invited to participate in the 2018 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for the nation's top college seniors.
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Johnson is the first Hilltopper to receive an invitation to Portsmouth since guard T.J. Price in 2015. Other recent Hilltoppers to compete include A.J. Slaughter and Anthony Winchester.
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The four-day, 12-game tournament runs April 11-15 in Portsmouth, Va. The event, established in 1953, features 64 seniors from across the nation who will play in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams and scouts from numerous international leagues.
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Portsmouth alumni include legends John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen, along with many others who have gone on to NBA stardom including Jimmy Butler. Six players from the 2017 event were selected in that year's NBA Draft.
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Johnson – a 6-foot-7 native of Hazard, Ky. – concluded the 2017-18 campaign averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and a team-best 41.6 percent from 3-point range with 47 makes. He was a first-team All-Conference USA selection.
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He finished his college career ranked 10th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,715 career points and fifth on the all-time rebounding list with 1,057 career boards. He's one of five players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and the first since Jim McDaniels in 1971.
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Johnson is the only active NCAA player with at least 1,700 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He's ranked fifth among active players in career double-doubles (40) and sixth in career rebounds.
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The forward is the first Hilltopper to lead the program in both scoring and rebounding in three straight seasons since McDaniels from 1968-71, and he's the first C-USA player to lead the league in rebounding average in back-to-back seasons since Memphis' Joey Dorsey from 2006-08.
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