BARTLETT, Tenn. (WREG) — Day one of the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic tipped off Friday night with the showcase portion of the event.

And, we were able to witness some truly magical moments. Like when Mississippi Rebels signee Daeshun Ruffin who’s 5′ 9″ had to go up against 6’11” Paolo Banchero in the 1-on-1 contest semifinals. Ruffin lost, but he gained so much more — a one-on-one with Iverson himself.

Iverson spent a great deal of time talking to Ruffin and even coaching him during the event.

“He was basically just telling me to attack his high foot and when I get to the basket to use my reverse layup as much as I can. Don’t just settle for the jumper all of the time when I’m playing against bigger guys. Basically, he was just giving me tips to enhance my game. He had been talking to us this whole week from a man to a man. I don’t look at him as like this famous icon, I look at him as a person who has been where we are trying to go. Although he is a hall of famer and I respect him for that and I just respect the way he carries himself.”

“We are around the same height, so we all have to have that same heart that ability to be able to go out there to go against bigger guys and just play with that competitiveness that we have. So of course, yeah I feel like me and him resemble each other a little bit.”