Gonzaga's Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle selected to Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

The Portsmouth Invitational will tip off Wednesday at Churchland High School, with playoffs starting on Friday. Recognized as a pre-NBA combine tournament, pro scouts will be in attendance to watch and evaluate the 64 players who've been split into eight teams.

Hickman will suit up for a team sponsored by K&D Round's Landscape Services, along with Arkansas' Jonas Aidoo, Belmont's Jonathan Pierre, Clemson's Chase Hunter, Xavier's Zach Freemantle, Dayton's Nate Santos, Michigan State's Jaden Akins and Ole Miss' Sean Pedulla.

Battle's eight-man squad, named after Roger Brown's Sports Bar & Restaurant, is also comprised of Texas' Kadin Sedrick, Maryland's Julian Reese, Marshall's Obinna Anochili-Killen, UCLA's Kobe Johnson, Louisville's Terrence Edwards Jr., Rhode Island's Sebastian Thomas and Vanderbilt's AJ Hoggard.

Bal's talented team includes Kentucky's Andrew Carr, Memphis' Moussa Cisse, Mississippi State's Cameron Matthews, VCU's Joe Bamisile, Texas Tech's Chance McMillian, Bryant's Earl Timberlake and Louisville's Chucky Hepburn. The team is sponsored by Portsmouth Sports Club.

Marciulionis will suit up alongside former Gonzaga center Oumar Ballo on a team sponsored by Portsmouth Partnership, along with Washington's Great Osobor, Kansas State's David N'Guessan, Miami's Matthew Cleveland, Tennessee's Jahmai Mashack, Kansas' Zeke Mayo and Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr.

Tyson Degenhart, a Spokane native, was also selected to the Portsmouth Invitational following his four-year run with Boise State. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the field last season.

Hickman came to Gonzaga with high expectations as a former four-star recruit in the 2021 class who decommitted from John Calipari and Kentucky to play for Mark Few instead. By his junior year, the Seattle native had blossomed into an all-conference caliber player, putting up 14.0 points while knocking down 41.3% of his 3-point attempts. As a senior this past season, Hickman drilled 44.5% of his 3-point attempts and put up 10.9 points per game.

Hickman played 139 games across his four-year career in Spokane, the seventh-most in program history, and knocked down the ninth-most 3-pointers in Gonzaga with 225 on 570 attempts (39.5% career 3-point shooter).

Battle's one season in Spokane delivered some electrifying moments and memorable performances from the sixth-year guard. He crossed the 20-point threshold 11 times in a Gonzaga uniform, including a 24-point night in his NCAA Tournament debut against Georgia. The Zags went 10-1 in those instances, though Battle also impacted the game with his rebounding and overall ability to get to the rim and draw fouls. Battle shot 93.2% from the free-throw line this past season, which would be the highest of any Gonzaga player for their career.

Battle averaged 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in his one season with the Bulldogs.

The last Gonzaga player represented in the Portsmouth Invitational was Rasir Bolton in 2023.

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