190 - 181 PG's
190. Keith Carter-Valparaiso (Junior)/8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 46% FGP, 37.2% Three Point, 2.05 Assist-Turnover Ratio- If it wasn't for a rough ending to the season, Valpo point Keith Carter probably would have been around 10 spots higher on the list. Still, when looking at the season as a whole, Carter played very well. He only turned the ball over 1.8 times per game, a great stat when looking at his average minutes per game, which hovered around 27.6 on the year. Also, he dished out a career high 3.7 assists per game, 2.7 more than his first season with the St. Louis Billikens. The only part of his game that needs to improve for next season is his work at the stripe. He shoots a fine percentage from three (37.2%) so there's no excuse for him to shoot 67.7% from the line. Fix that, and he should have a great 2015-16 season.
189. Alex Mitola-Dartmouth (Junior)/12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 38.3% FGP, 36.6% Three Point, 2.07 Assist-Turnover Ratio- For the past three years, the only thing people look at when viewing the Ivy League is Harvard; and for good reason. The Crimson have made three straight NCAA Tournaments, and picked up upsets in two of those three. However, the other teams have some impressive pieces as well. Mitola, a third year guard out of Florham Park, New Jersey, had a great junior season. His 2.7 assists per game may not look great at first glance, but his assist-turnover ratio was still very good (2.07). Moving forward, he'll need to improve his efficiency from the midrange. He can hit free throws (85.3%) and knock down threes (36.6%), but his 38.3% field goal percentage is the one bad mark on his statline.
188. Brent Jones-St. Francis Brooklyn (Senior)/14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.3 apg, 39.6% FGP, 32.9% Three Point, 1.55 Assist-Turnover Ratio- In terms of the "assist-turnover ratio's" accuracy, this is one of those rare occurrences when it doesn't reflect the skill of the guard. Alex Mitola (#189) had a better assist-turnover ratio (2.07), but is not as good as Brent Jones as a point guard. Jones dished out nearly double the amount of assists that Mitola did (2.7 apg compared to 5.3 apg) and had the ball in his hands more often than Mitola as well. His reliance in the three point shot (4.3 attempts per game) hurt his field goal percentage (39.6%), but his ability to get to the line (4.8 free throw attempts per game) more than made up for his problems with his outside shot. Considering he doesn't have a gaping weakness in his game, Jones should easily find work overseas.
187. Tony Hicks-Pennsylvania (Junior)/13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 40.3% FGP, 37.1% Three Point, .78 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Although he only earned an "Honorable Mention" in the Ivy League all-conference team for this past season, he did enough to ensure his spot in the top 200 with both his work last year, and his solid 2014-15 season. A solid defender, Hicks has always been more well known for his work on the offensive end. His 13.2 ppg was better than Alex Mitola's 12.4, and his 2.5 assists per game were close to Mitola's mark as well. The only problem with his statline was his awful .78 assist-turnover ratio. His struggles with turnovers have plagued him his entire career, and if he can start holding on to the basketball, his spot would be much higher on this list. Still, he's done enough in the past couple years to ensure his spot on the list.
186. Paris Lee-Illinois State (Sophomore)/6.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 43.5% FGP, 36.6% Three Point, 1.89 Assist-Turnover Ratio- He only played 2.3 extra minutes per game (from 2013-14), but Paris Lee's improvement as a point guard was drastic. For starters, he raised his repugnant 34.4% field goal percentage to a more respectable 43.5% in 2014-15. Also, he raised both his three point percentage (up 5.5%) and his free throw percentage (1.4%). More importantly, he improved drastically on the defensive end, a spot where he really had problems last year. He swiped a career high 2.4 steals per game, a number that looks even more impressive when put up against his 1.8 fouls per game. If the first round of the NIT was any indication of how next season will go for Lee, Redbird fans should be excited. The sophomore scored a career high 18 points, dished out 6 assists, and got to the line 10 times (hit 9). Illinois State won the game by 13.
184. Divine Myles-Stetson (Freshman)/11.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 40.1% FGP, 31.8% Three Point, 2.0 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Stetson got exactly what they bargained for when they went after Divine Myles last summer. The enigmatic point had a ton of highlight reel plays in his first season at Stetson, often times wowing announcers in the process. His 11.1 ppg was higher than many were expecting, but his 3.4 assists per game was a little less than advertised. The one part of his game that really didn't carry over from high school was his outside shot. He shot only 31.8% from downtown in his first year of college, which wasn't great. Even more worrying though was his 67.7% free throw stroke, much worse than his plus 80% stroke in his senior season of high school ball. Moving forward, he's going to have to work on improving his outside shot and his work on the defensive end (1.2 spg) before he can really start turning some heads.
183. Devin Cherry-Cornell (Senior)/10 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 37.4% FGP, 29.3% Three Point, 1.03 Assist-Turnover Ratio- The fourth Ivy League player to make the list so far, Cornell's Devin Cherry had an excellent four year career at the school. Coming out of Meridian, Missouri as an unranked recruit back in 2011, not many were expecting much out of Cherry throughout his career. He wasn't a great shooter in high school, and only dished out 2.1 assists per game in his senior season. And after his first season, these worries didn't let up. He played only 8.3 minutes per game, scoring 1.9 points and averaging 0.4 assists per game in that short time. Fast forward three years, and you got a double digit scorer, a rock solid midrange shooter, and a 3+ apg point guard. He didn't have quite the season that I was expecting him to have after a great junior year (12.3 ppg, 3.5 apg) but his intangibles at the point were always on full display.
182. Chris Wilson-St. Joseph's (Senior)/8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 37.1% FGP, 30.1% Three Point, 1.68 Assist-Turnover Ratio- A point guard in a shooting guard's body, Chris Wilson's first two seasons at St. Josephs weren't great. He shot too many outside shots, and rarely knocked any of them down (27.6% three point percentage in sophomore season). In his next two seasons, however, he really came to his own as a point guard. His 2.7 assists per game weren't exactly eye popping numbers, but his 1.68 assist-turnover ratio was rock solid this past season. Once he stopped taking so many threes, he started to average more points and started to make his teammates better around him. He never shot over 40% from the field in his four year career, but his ability to drive to the lane or spot up for a 15 footer made him a tough assignment for any opposing guard.
181. Justin Robinson-Monmouth (Sophomore)/13.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 42% FGP, 36.9% Three Point, 1.89 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Much like the Monmouth program as a whole, Justin Robinson improved drastically from last season. His freshman numbers weren't bad by any means (7.1 ppg, 3 apg, 37.8% FGP), but his decision making, perimeter shot, and work in the lane all improved this year. The most impressive part of his growth from last season was his ability to attack the basket and draw contact. He preferred to take jumpers as a freshman, but got to the line 4.2 times per game this past year, and shot 79.3% from the line. That, combined with his improved perimeter jumper (up 1.5%), made him a tough guy to guard, even though he's only 5-8 and 160 pounds. If he continues to improve his drive to the basket as well as his perimeter shot, Robinson could be a 16-6 guy as early as next season.
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
