If you’re an American college basketball player, odds are you’re dreaming of the next level. But unless your name is Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, Dejuan Blair, James Harden, Ty Lawson, or one of the few dozen other players expected to hear their names called in the 2009 NBA Draft, you’ll likely never get to “The League.”

Outside of those aforementioned players, the annual Portsmouth Invitational Turnament provides the opportunity for 64 of the best college seniors to give themselves a bigger name and a better chance of getting invited to an NBA camp, or signing an NBA contract.

Even with a good performance at the “P.I.T.”, nothing is promised. And trying to make an NBA roster is even less promising.

But don’t get too depressed; you still have options.  You can still play basketball, all the while exploring a different culture in another country, earning a salary between $80,000 and $200,000 for 5-7 months of work, and have much of your living expenses taken care of.

Not too shabby for a Sports Management major with a 2.4 G.P.A.

Last year, of the 64 players that participated in the 2008 Portsmouth invitational tournament, only 4 players eventually ended up on an NBA roster, while nearly 80% of the PIT players were hooping overseas. In fact, nine players from last year’s crop ended up in Turkish leagues alone, five more than those that signed an NBA contract.

The remaining few players that didn’t play overseas, or the NBA, toiled in the NBDL hoping for their chance to play in the NBA according to this article from the Virginia Pilot.

So though their intention is to display their skills for NBA scouts, not many realize that their play have further-reaching implications as they are also performing for scouts from all across the globe (mostly Europe).  “(The players) are not dreaming yet of Europe, but reality comes, and I’m guessing 50 percent of them will be there.” said Alba Berlin GM Henning Harnisch.

Portsmouth chairman Mahlon Parker estimates, unofficially, that about 75 international scouts and agents attend the tournament each year.

A potential problem can be that an international scout is looking for something completely different than an NBA scout.  Playing internationally requires more fundementally sound play and are believed to be more team-oriented,

Do the math, there are roughly 4000 NCAA division I college players, there are 450 available NBA roster spots, the NBA Draft goes only 60 deep and if you’re drafted below 25, your chances of sticking drops considerably.

There are 24 Euroleague teams with a number of domestic leagues, as well as many leagues in Asia and the Middle East, such as China, Lebanon, Japan, the Philippines, Syria, and Korea.  With so many professional basketball leagues around the world, the chance of getting paid to play basketball doesn’t start nor end with the NBA.

Scott VanderMeer, a 7-foot center from Illinois-Chicago playing in the Portsmouth tournament has done the math, “Instead of getting a 9-to-5, I’d rather be playing basketball somewhere.”

That’s exactly what former college stars like Trajan Langdon, Wayne Simien, Reece Gaines, Rodney White, Luke Recker, Chris Porter, and Louis Bullock are doing.  They’re not stuck behind a desk sorting through papers like you and I, they’re earning a paycheck playing basketball in countries such as Spain, China, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, and more.

If you’re a prospective professional basketball player, there’s still a world of opportunity outside of the NBA.  Are you reading this A.J. Abrams, Jon Brockman, and DeMarre Carroll?

Links and Resources: NBA? No. But Europe beckons at Portsmouth tourney (The Virginian Pilot)