200-191 PG's
200. Reed Timmer-Drake (Freshman)/11.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 43.4% FGP, 35.6% Three Point, 1.26 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Being part of the All-Freshman team in the MVC may not seem like a lot, but try telling that to guys like Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet, and Larry Bird, all part of the all-freshman team at one point in their career. Now, I'm not saying Timmer is as good as any of those three players above. Still, on a team that really struggled offensively (334th in the nation in points per game) Timmer's 11-12 points per game were extremely important. His 1.26 assist-turnover ratio wasn't great, but that number should go up as he continues to mature as a point guard. With a good outside jumper (35.6%) and a nice free throw stroke (86.1%), this guy has a chance to make some noise in years to come.
199. Shaun Lawton-Maine (Junior)/9.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 40.6% FGP, 28.8% Three Point, 1.07 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Even with a down year, junior guard Shaun Lawton still turned some heads playing with the Maine Black Bears this past year. His inability to hit the three (28.8%) plagued his overall offensive stability day in day out, but his midrange game (40.6%) picked up his overall offensive game. Also, his work on the defensive end (1.9 steals per game) made him the most effective defender on the Bears. Moving forward, Lawton needs to continue to work on his outside shot. He can hit free throws (76%) and midrange j's, but to really take his game to the next level, he'll need to become a danger from behind the arc to keep defenders honest.
198. Phillip Leonard-Mercer (Junior)/8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 46.5% FGP, .063% Three Point, 2.5 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Mercer didn't have quite the year as they had in 2013-14, but at least they found their point guard for next season with Phillip Leonard. A great pass first guard who is extremely unselfish, Leonard showed a lot of nice intangibles at the point this past season. His 4.4 free throw attempts per game showed he could get into the lane, not surprising considering he's a nice 6-2, 200 pounds, a great size for the point. He's not an outside shooter, which is fine, but his 62.6% free throw percentage will need to improve. Still, for someone who had a 1.0 assist-turnover ratio last season, it was simply impressive to see that number jump all the way to 2.5 in one year. Look for him, and Mercer to step it up big next year.
197. ShawnDre' Jones-Richmond (Sophomore)/10.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 42.1% FGP, 37.6% Three Point, 2.36 Assist-Turnover Ratio- With senior guard Kendall Anthony finally graduating after an illustrious Richmond career, it looks like ShawnDre' Jones is their point for the future. At 5-10, 155 pounds, Anthony either has to be a great shooter or a great ball handler to survive. Lucky for him, he's both. He shoots over 37% from behind the arc, and owns a 2.36 assist-turnover ratio, a great number for just a sophomore. The one place he'll need to improve on is defense. For someone his size, he should be pesky enough to snag more than one steal per game. Still, that's getting really nit-picky. Overall, Jones is a rock solid point guard in an underrated conference who should continue to improve moving forward.
196. Aaron Bright-Saint Mary's (Senior)/10.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 35.7% FGP, 30.3% Three Point, 1.65 Assist-Turnover Ratio- When talking about senior Saint Mary's guard Aaron Bright's senior career, it's kinda hard to not talk bring up his freshman season. Why is this a bad thing? Well, in his first season, with Stanford, he showed insane potential, averaging 11.7 ppg and 3.7 assists per game on 43.7% shooting from the field. Although his assist-turnover ratio rose, that was about the only part of his statline that improved (not counting his always steady defense). Still, even with a 35.7% field goal percentage, Bright was one of the most important players on Saint Mary's roster. Unfortunately, he was also a big part of the team's epic collapse. He played well in his final collegiate game (NIT against Vanderbilt) scoring 17 points to go along with 3 assists and 3 boards.
195. Isiah Umipig-Seattle (Senior)/17 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 40.5% FGP, 41.8% Three Point, 1.38 Assist-Turnover Ratio- It's kind of hard to call Umipig a point guard. He loves to shoot threes. Like, really likes doing it. He shot 8.6 threes per game this past season, which was actually less than his 9.6 per game in the previous year. However, it's hard to get angry at him because he hits at a great rate (41.8%). His passing numbers dipped a bit this past year (3.6 to 2.9) but his assist-turnover ratio did grow a bit (1.09 last season) showing growth at the position. His defense remained a huge problem at the end of games, but his impressive scoring made up for it (most of the time). An all-WAC first team selection for the second time in his three year career, Umipig's career certainly ended on a high note. With that scoring ability, he should have no problem finding a team that wants him overseas.
194. Johnny Hill-Texas Arlington (Junior)/9.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 46% FGP, 25% Three Point, 1.13 Assist-Turnover Ratio- If it wasn't for his turnover troubles, this former Illinois State Redbird would have been a few spots higher. He isn't quite the scorer that Umipig is, but his nice decisions with the ball in his hands (3.4 apg, 46% FGP) often times led his team to victory. A late season injury kept him out of 9 of the teams last 13 games, but his final performance of the season was a memorable one. He scored 16 points, dished out 6 assists, and grabbed four boards en route to an 84-69 win over a talented Louisiana Lafayette squad. One final stat: the Mavs were 12-10 with Hill in the lineup, and were 4-6 with him out of the lineup. If he can stay healthy next season, Hill could make be a 14-5 guy.
193. Yonel Brown-Kennesaw State (Junior)/15.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 41.1% FGP, 38.2% Three Point, 1.12 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Well, that was unexpected. Watching Yonel Brown this year, I was simply shocked with his growth in both his game and his confidence. In his first two seasons, he averaged 4.5 points and shot just over 32% from the field. Fastforward to this past season, and the improvements are just astonishing. He scored a team high 15.2 points per game, dished out a team high 2.8 assists per game, and shot a decent 41.1% from the field. He also shot a career high 38.2% from downtown and got to the line 4.7 times per contest (shot 90% from the line). Kennesaw is a young, up and coming team that could compete as early as next year. Yonel will have to be a big part of that.
192. Marcus Colbert-Montana State (Junior)/13.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 42.5% FGP, 42.4% Three Point, 1.51 Assist-Turnover Ratio- As bad as Montana State was this season, there was one reason to watch them play, and that is to watch junior guard Marcus Colbert. He doesn't do anything extremely well, but doesn't really struggle at anything in particular either. He shoots a fine 42.5% FGP, hits over 42% from behind the arc, dishes out over 4.5 assists per game, and is a rock solid defender. If Montana State was a better team overall (7-23), Colbert would be higher on this list, and would maybe get some national attention as well. With one more season of eligibility, Colbert could be a 16-6 guy in 2015-16.
191. Mike Talley-Eastern Michigan (Senior)/12.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 43.4% FGP, 33% Three Point, 2.33 Assist-Turnover Ratio- After a disappointing sophomore season with EMU (transferred from Duquesne), it became clear early on that Talley wasn't going to struggle again. His 12.5 ppg was a career high, along with his 4.2 assists, 43.4% field goal percentage, 2.33 assist-turnover ratio, and his 33% three point percentage. Whew. His defense was solid (1.6 steals per game). His size made it easy for him to attack the paint (5.7 free throw attempts per game, 71% FT%), and his midrange game excelled as well. I'm sure he would have liked to play better in his final game (71-67 loss to ULM in CIT), but nobody over at EMU is saying anything bad about Talley's improvement.
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
