Former PIT standout Whisnant dies

Art Whisnant, a former basketball star from the University of South Carolina who made regular trips to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in the 1960s and ’70s, died earlier this month after a long illness. He was 81.

Whisnant was a PIT participant before the event was limited to college seniors.

“He played in the PIT from 1962 to 1974,” said James “Booty” Baker, one of the event organizers who served on the selection committee. “That’s when you could come and play two or three times. He was on the championship team 10 times. And three times, he was on the all-tournament team.”

Whisnant was a three-time ACC first-team selection in 1962 and earned All-ACC secondteam honors in 1960 and 1961. He was named to the ACC all-tournament team in 1962. His 1505 career points ranks in the top 10 on the Gamecocks’ all-time list and he attempted a record 880 free throws.

He was a fifth-round selection of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1962 NBA draft. He was selected to the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the State of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

He’s also the grandfather of professional golfer Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters champion.

The PIT is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. This year, it has been canceled because of COVID.

Whisnant was named to the PIT all-tournament team three consecutive seasons from 196264. Former NBA player and coach Doug Moe was on the 1963 and 1964 team. And the 1963 team also included Larry Brown, who played professionally — including with the Virginia Squires — and was an NBA and college coach.

Baker and Whisnant formed a special bond over those years.

“He was a wonderful, wonderful person,” Baker said. “He loved coming here and mingling with the fans. He used to look forward to coming back here. He was just a wonderful friend and I’m going to miss talking to him.”