DeShawn Sims said he wanted to go to Portsmouth to "showcase" his skills.

Two games in, while his team has been struggling, the 6-foot-8 Sims has been standing out. Playing for the Portsmouth Sports Club, he has led his team in scoring in both his opening game Thursday night and then his second game Friday afternoon.

Sims scored a team-high 17 points with 7 rebounds and 2 assists in a team-high 35 minutes in a 91-83 loss to the Tidewater Sealants on Friday afternoon, dropping his team to 0-2 and into Saturday's seventh-place game at noon.

It also backed up his first game, where he scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 90-56 loss to K&D Rounds Landscaping.

In reviewing his first game, Draft Express said Sims hit his spot-up jump shots well and was good in transition but struggled in the halfcourt game.

His team was ravaged by defections from the initial Portsmouth roster. Forward Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia) was injured in the Final Four and had to pull out of the tournament. Center Omar Samhan (St. Mary's) cited an injury and also pulled out of the competition.

It left his team shorthanded but also may have opened up an opportunity for Sims, who has played over 30 minutes in both games.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.