180 - 171 PG's
180. Isaac Cohen-Columbia (Junior)/4.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4 apg, 61.9% FGP, 36.4% Three Point, 2.66 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Isaac Cohen is a great example of a solid point guard who doesn't have to score to make his presence felt. He only scores 4.8 points per contest, but he is easily the most valuable player on Columbia not named Maodo Lo. How, you might ask, is this possible? For starters, he shoots over 60% from the field, an almost impossible number to achieve if you aren't playing down low. Secondly, he only turns the ball over 1.5 times per game. Not bad when you compare it to his 4 assists per game (2.66 assist-turnover ratio). To top it all off, he also shoots over 36% from downtown, even though he only put up 11 attempts this past season. He's shown the nation he isn't going to be remembered as a scoring guard, but it would be nice to see him average closer to 10 points per game in his senior season.
179. Jaleen Smith-New Hampshire (Sophomore)/10.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 41.5% FGP, 32.6% Three Point, 1.21 Assist-Turnover Ratio- UNH was one of the most surprising teams in the nation this past season. Projected to finish 3rd to last in the conference by many, the team dominated expectations, finishing 11-5 in the conference, good for 4th in the standings. Freshman Tanner Leisner may have led the team in points and rebounds, but sophomore guard Jaleen Smith was the catalyst. He dished out a career high 2.8 assists per game, but turned the ball over 2.3 times per game, up 1.1 from his freshman season total. If the last two games of the America East Tournament are any indication of next season, Wildcats fans should be very excited. He averaged 16 points, 4.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in games against Albany and Hartford.
178. Jeremy Senglin-Weber State (Sophomore)/15.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 41.7% FGP, 34.6% Three Point, 1.36 Assist-Turnover Ratio- A late season injury hurt Senglin's overall stats, but his previous three months of playing were still pretty darn good. He averaged close to 16 points per game, considerably higher than his 10.9 ppg total from his freshman season. Even more impressive were his passing numbers. He only dished out 2.2 assists per game last year, not a great number when compared to his 2 turnovers per contest. However, he upped that number to 3.4 assists per game this season, compared to only 2.5 turnovers per game. A solid scorer who can nail threes, drive to the basket (6.1 free throw attempts per game) and hit jumpers (41.7% FGP), the next step in his advancement as a player will need to be his sometimes questionable defense (1.1 steals per game, 2.1 fouls per game).
177. Brett Olson-Denver (Senior)/13.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3 apg, 48.3% FGP, 41.9% Three Point, 1.76 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Brett Olson is everything you want in a four year senior guard. He loves to take big shots, dishes the ball out to his teammates, shoots the rock (41.9% Three Point) and can finish around the basket. Also, he was one of the best defenders on a solid Pioneers squad. Although he got better and smarter each and every season in the NCAA, he always shot a great percentage from the field. Maybe even more impressive, he shot better than 41% from behind the arc in each of his four seasons. With 265 made three pointers in his career, that puts him just outside the 50th most of all time. That’s pretty impressive for a guy that mostly played the point this past year.
176. Nick Lindner-Lafayette (Sophomore)/12.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5.2 apg, 49% FGP, 39.7% Three Point, 2.6 Assist-Turnover Ratio- For the first 26 games of the season, Nick Lindner was a "solid" point guard. He could score (around 10 ppg), dish out assists (4.8 apg), and rarely turned the ball over (2 per game). And then the Patriot League Tournament happened. Lindner kicked it into a new gear, averaging 21.5 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, and hit over 56% of his threes. Impressive? Just a little bit. He was dominated by Ryan Arcidiacono and company in the NCAA Tournament (3 points, 6 turnovers) but the Panthers wouldn't have even been there if it wasn't for Lindner's heroics in the PL Tournament. Moving forward, the only part of his game that he'll need to improve is his defense. He averaged only .6 steals per game this past year; while also committing 1.9 fouls per game.
175. Devonte Graham-Kansas (Freshman)/5.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 39.3% FGP, 42.5% Three Point, 1.90 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Some players would give up if they were playing behind a star point guard like Frank Mason. Not Devonte Graham. The freshman only played 17.8 minutes per game, but made sure to make his presence felt in those 17.8 minutes. His 39.3% field goal percentage probably didn't help his workload, but his excellent outside shot (42.5%) along with his ability to find teammates (2.1 apg) earned him a lot of respect from Bill Self. Also, in the team’s last game of the season against Wichita State (a loss), Graham got to play some extra minutes (29). How did he respond? How about 17 points, 3 assists, and 5 steals. Already a great on ball defender, Graham is just going to have to work on his driving and midrange game moving forward. If starting point guard Frank Mason returns, Graham should see boosted minutes (around 20). If Mason leaves for the draft, however, Graham might need to start into the starting role next season. I think he's up for the task.
174. Jalen Riley-East Tennessee State (Senior)/20.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 38.7% FGP, 37.4% Three Point, .96 Assist-Turnover Ratio- There's one thing nobody can say about ETSU senior guard Jalen Riley: he is a shy player. The second year JUCO guard put up 14.7 shots per game this season, up 4.9 from last season's total. Also, he hucked up 7.4 threes per game, but made 2.8, making it a pretty decent percentage (37.4%). The main reason he is this high on the list is A) his ability to downright score the basketball from anywhere on the court, and B) his improvement on defense (1.7 steals per game). Also, he dished out 2.7 assists per game this season, up from his previous total of 1.8 per game as a junior. He doesn't have the poise or physical strength to survive in the NBA, but his ability to score from anywhere on the court will make him an attractive prospect for some team's overseas.
173. Mario Dunn-Montana (Sophomore)/8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 48.8% FGP, 36.6% Three Point, 1.52 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Coming out of high school Mario Dunn was handed the "next big thing" tag from Montana fans. With blazing speed, a great jumper and nice defensive abilities, people were expecting Dunn to be a 15 ppg scorer by his sophomore season. And although that didn't happen (averaged 8.8 ppg this season) not a lot of Grizzlies fans are arguing. Why? Because of how much poise Dunn has shown leading this team. His 3.8 assists per game led the Grizzlies this past season, his 3.8 rebounds per game was the fourth highest total on his team, and his field goal percentage (48.8%) showed off his excellent basketball IQ. To wrap it up, Dunn hasn't quite been the scorer he was booked to be coming out of high school, but his great size (6-0, 172 pounds) and feel for the point guard spot has Montana fans excited for the next two years.
172. Aqeel Quinn-San Diego State (Senior)/10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 41.6% FGP, 36.5% Three Point, 1.15 Assist-Turnover Ratio- With hard-nosed leader Xavier Thames graduating, it would have been easy for the Aztecs (and their fan base) to give up on 2014-15. However, that didn't happen, and the Aztecs were able to get to the round of 32 in this year’s NCAA Tournament. And although head coach Steve Fisher deserves the bulk of the credit, senior guard Aqeel Quinn had a lot to do with the surprising run as well. He mostly played shooting guard this past year, but he did take the ball up the court often as well, earning him the "point guard title" in my book. His excellent outside stroke (36.5%) along with his defensive prowess made him one of the most deadly players on both sides of the ball for San Diego State this past season. He wasn't quite as well respected or loved by the Aztec faithful as Thames was last year, but Quinn's hard work last season proved to be rewarding in 2014-15.
171. Tre Hagood-Prairie View A&M (Senior)/12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.8 apg, 40.7% FGP, 23.3% Three Point, 1.41 Assist-Turnover Ratio- It wasn't an easy road for Prairie View A&M senior Tre Hagood. His career didn't start off well. A relatively big name coming out of high school, Hagood was expected to dominate at Florida A&M, the school he committed to for his freshman season. Instead, he ended up playing only 111 minutes that year, averaging 2 points and 1 assist per game. Visibly upset with himself and the organization, he decided to transfer to Prairie View A&M with two more years of eligibility. His first season wasn't great (6.5 ppg, 3.8 apg, 37.6% FGP) but it all paid off for him in his senior season. He averaged career highs across the board (points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage) and just really came into his own on both sides of the ball. With solid size and great passing ability, Hagood should be able to find some buyers overseas, even with his putrid shooting stroke (23.3% three point percentage, 59.6% free throw percentage).
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
