This past weekend, I drove down to southern Virginia to watch Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Jonathan Wallace perform in the 56th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The tournament, known for being a showcase for college seniors in front of NBA scouts, has sent its players to fifty professional leagues around the world, including the NBA.

Having lost their games on Thursday, Ewing and Wallace’s teams were set to meet in the consolation game on Friday afternoon, and they were playing their game while I was stuck in traffic leaving DC. As it turned out, Wallace’s team, Norfolk Sports Club, eked out a close victory, 89-88, to Ewing’s Cherry, Bekaert & Holland team. Patrick did not get as much playing time as Georgetown fans would have hoped because after an impressive first round game where he picked up 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, he injured his ankle in his game against Wallace.

When I showed up to Churchland High School on Saturday afternoon to see Patrick and Jonathan play in the bottom two consolation matches, I wasn’t sure if Ewing would even be there. He was, but he was not shooting around with the team; he was under the basket with headphones on. Even though he was wearing Georgetown warmups instead of a suit and tie, I recognized what he was doing as it was eerily similar to his role for the Hoyas two years ago - grabbing rebounds and cheering on his eligible teammates, while he knew he was to be resigned to the bench.

When they announced the rosters for the two teams, just like at Georgetown, he was the first out on the court, high-fiving and low-fiving the starters and trying to pump up the team. Even though Cherry, Bekaert & Holland had two injured players, Pat was the only one on who sat on the bench with the team, knowing he still had a job to do. Either that, or he just wanted to stay to see Wallace play in the next game, and those seats were as good as any.

After the game, Patrick limped to the locker room with his team, promising his young fans that he would sign their autographs after listening to his coaches’ last words. When he came out, he signed a few t-shirts and loose papers and then headed to the basket on the other end of the court. As Jonathan Wallace was preparing to take a practice three-pointer, Patrick swatted at it, just missing Jon’s signature high-arching shot. They talked for a little bit, and then Pat let Wallace finish getting ready for his last organized college game.

Unlike the first game, in which Patrick played a similar role to one he had filled at Georgetown, the second game that afternoon was a completely disorienting spectacle. To start out, Wallace was on the bench. At first, I had thought they had made a mistake, announcing his name before the starters. Jonathan Wallace doesn’t start on the bench. But apparently, he did.

When Wallace finally headed over to the scorers’ table to check in after five minutes of action, he looked slightly ridiculous. He took off his gray Georgetown warmup to reveal his white Norfolk Sports Club jersey. The whole team looked a little silly with their reversible white jerseys and red shorts, reminding the fans of elementary school basketball when shirts and shorts didn’t have to match. But Wallace took his clashing shirt and shorts to another extreme, wearing navy blue Under Armour beneath his jersey. And somehow that wasn’t even the strangest part of Wallace’s uniform. As Wallace pulled off his Georgetown warmup to enter the game, he revealed the a red #3.

When Norfolk Sports Club lost in overtime in the Consolation Championship, it was too late for me to be surprised. He had come off the bench, worn a strange number; why wouldn’t he lose in overtime for the first time since his freshman year?

But don’t let me confuse you into thinking it was all Bizzaro World. There were a few things that won’t change. Like Wallace’s determination, playing the entire overtime session with high pressure defense and precise offense. Like his team first mentality, dishing out eight assists and always looking to pick out an open teammate instead of forcing a shot. And like his Georgetown support system, playing in front of a crowd that included not only Patrick Ewing, Jr. but also fellow teammates Vernon Macklin and Jessie Sapp.