Jimmy Boeheim and Cole Swider in action at Portsmouth Invitational

When we last saw Jimmy Boeheim and Cole Swider in action for the Syracuse Orange, they were helping a short-handed squad take the Duke Blue Devils to the wire in the ACC Tournament. Now the two former Orange players are making their case for professional opportunities starting at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

Action got underway last night in this event which is played over four days in Portsmouth Virginia and features only four (or five) year college players. Jimmy Boeheim is a member of the Jani-King team and in last night’s opener they were defeated by the Norfolk Sports Club 79-67. Jimmy got the start and played 28 minutes but struggled with his shot going 2-6 from the field and 0-2 from the foul line. He did have five rebounds and two assists but it wasn’t an ideal start to the weekend.

Jimmy’s team will be back on the court this afternoon at 3:15 as they face K&D Rounds Landscaping. Hopefully they find that missing “E” for today’s box score. Cole Swider will also be in action today as a member of Sales Systems, LTD. They will be playing the Portsmouth Sports Club at 7:00 tonight. You can follow the live stats for games in Portsmouth here.

One note for Syracuse fans is that Virginia Tech’s Keve Aluma also played last night which means he’s unlikely to return to the Hokies. Any player who participates in Portsmouth would have to petition to regain eligibility in college otherwise they would have to sit out two NCAA games for every game played at this event.