2010-2011 Season Preview: Top Point Guards

The season is fast approaching. The first games are on Nov. 8th, and the BIAH live blog during ESPN's season kickoff is just two weeks away. So with just a week until actual games are played, we figured its about time to give you our Top 10 players at each position. You know how much we love a good Top 10 list here.

A few caveats. First, we're talking about how good these guys are as college players, not how well they project as a pro. Second, while it may be too much power for me, I am making the executive decision on what "position" a player is (and it may not necessarily be what he is listed as on a roster). Third, I am putting the freshman in a separate list. As much as I've read about these guys and as many Youtube clips as I have watched, I have yet to see many of them play a real game (the all-star games don't count), and I don't think that I could give an accurate assessment compared to the rest of college basketball until I see them play at this level. Lastly, I love me a good argument, so if you think someone is too low or too high or the wrong position, leave a comment and let me hear about it.

By Position: PG, SG, SF, PF, C

Hit the jump for the point guards:

1. Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, Sr: I've said it before and I will say it again -- I did not think Pullen was going to end up being this good. He proved last season to be capable of putting up points with the best of them. He's got range on his jumper, he hits tough shots, and he's shown a penchant for being a guy that makes big plays. It will be interesting to see how he, and Kansas State in general, handles being a target. Neither Pullen nor the Wildcats are a secret this season, and with a lack of back court experience around him, Pullen, for better or worse, is going to be the guy with the ball in his hands when K-State needs a bucket. If there is an area he needs to improve on, its as a distributor. If he gets better at drawing defenders and finding one of the legion of big men at Frank Martin's disposal, he could put up scary numbers this year.


2. Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, Sr: I absolutely love Delaney's game. And like Pullen, he is going to be relied upon quite a bit to create points for the Hokies this season. Delaney is a big time scorer, arguably the best in the ACC. His quickness allows him to get into the paint fairly easily, and while he isn't great at finishing around the rim, he's become quite good at getting to the free throw line. There is definitely room for improvement when it comes to his shot selection, as he is prone to taking a couple of forced jumpers every game, but some of that is a result of his team's reliance upon him on the offensive end. I'd like to see him develop more of a floor game and become more of a leader, but the bottom line is that there are few players out there capable of getting buckets like Delaney.

3. Jimmer Fredette, BYU, Sr: Everyone in the country should be familiar with Jimmer at this point. A big time scorer, Fredette has a bit more of an all-around game than a lot of people realize. The first thing you have to talk about is his jumper, which is deadly off the dribble or off the catch out to about 25 feet. But he's also very good at getting into the paint. He's got a really nice handle, and while he is far from what you would consider an NBA athlete, he's crafty around the basket, using an array of floaters and nifty layups to finish amongst the trees. He's also capable of creating shots for others, as his 4.7 apg last season indicates. When Fredette gets it going, he's a nightmare to try to defend. Ask Arizona.

4. Corey Fisher, Villanova, Sr: I think Corey Fisher is in line for a very good season. After spending the past three seasons defering to an all-american in Scottie Reynolds, this is now Fisher's team. Fisher is your typical NYC point god. He's tough when he puts the ball on the floor, he is strong enough to finish in amongst the trees, he's fearless attacking the basket, and he is a very good long range shooter. As the focal point of an offense that is always centered around Jay Wright's talented back court players, Fisher has the talent to put his name on the map nationally as one of the best players in the country.

5. Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, Sr: Lucas was probably the most difficult player on this list to rank. On the one hand, he's a former Big Ten player of the year, having won the award in 2009 as a sophomore. But as a junior, he didn't exactly show much improvement, and even got benched due to a lack of leadership. To top it off, he's coming off of a serious injury to his achilles tendon that occurred in March. Will Lucas be back to 100%? If he regains his 2009 form, he's a dynamic point guard that is near impossible to stay in front of. But coming off of the injury, is he going to have his quickness, which is such a valuable weapon for him?


6. Demetri McCamey, Illinois, Sr: McCamey was one of the surprises of last season. Not because people didn't know he had talent, but because he had never been able to put it all together for an entire season. Combine that with a move to being a full time point guard, and there were some doubts. I think it is safe to say that McCamey answered those doubters quite emphatically, leading the country in assists. McCamey is at his best when he is able penetrate and find Illinois' shooters on the perimeter. If he can continue to cut down on the ill-advised shots -- he was drastically better last season, but still was good for one or two a game -- he'll be in the running for Big Ten player of the year.

7. Shelvin Mack, Butler, Jr: Shelvin Mack, like Jacob Pullen, was never supposed to be this good. He's from Lexington. How many collegiate all-americans from Lexington make it out of Kentucky's grasp? He's not as much of a pure point guard as his is a combo-guard, but he will absolutely be the guy that Butler runs their offense through this season. The Bulldogs are a tricky team to peg this season with Gordon Hayward now a member of the Jazz, and Mack is much the same. He did average 14.1 ppg and 3.0 apg last year, but how much of that was a result of team's keying on Gordon Hayward? Mack's numbers will go up this season as he becomes the centerpiece of the Butler attack, but will he be as efficient and as effective? Much of Butler's season is going to ride on the answer to that very question.


8. Kemba Walker, UConn, Jr: Walker may have the most physical gifts of any player on this list. He's arguably the quickest player in the country, both with the ball and on the ball defensively, and would rival Ty Lawson with his end to end speed. He excels at putting the ball on the floor and getting into the paint, and has shown he is more than capable of finding open teammates when he does. Walker is a much improved shooter as well. Where he can take his game to the next level is if he learns how to hit a short pull-up or floater. Too often last season, Walker took the ball into the trees only to get his shot blocked by a taller defender. UConn will need Walker to be at his best this season if they want to have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

9. Kevin Anderson, Richmond, Jr: Anderson is the reigning A-10 player of the year, and for good reason. He led Richmond, a team good enough to earn a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament, to a 26-win season and a third place finish in the league by averaging 17.8 ppg and putting up impressive performances (31 in a loss to Wake Forest, 29 in a win over Temple, 27 is a win at Xavier) against good competition. With his back court mate David Gonzalvez departing, that means there will be just that many more shots available for Anderson, although he could run into some of the same trouble as Pullen if a back court partner doesn't emerge. He is a cat-quick, 6' guard that can get into the lane against just about anyone. With an improved jump shot, Anderson will be near unstoppable at this level.

10. Talor Battle, Penn State, Sr: Battle is clearly a talented individual. He led the Big Ten in scoring last season at 18.5 ppg, while also grabbing 5.3 rpg and handing out 4.2 apg. His offense is set up by the range on his jump shot, which extends out to around 25 feet. He's also a capable driver, getting into the paint, drawing defenders, and finding open teammates on the perimeter. the biggest knock against Battle how bad Penn State truly is. The Nittany Lions went just 3-15 in the Big Ten last season, and lost quite a bit off of that team. Battle will once again be forced to play 37 minutes a night with every defense he faces specifically aimed at slowing him down.

11. Chris Wright, Georgetown, Sr.
12. Tu Holloway, Xavier, Jr.
13. Dairese Gary, New Mexico, Sr.
14. Juan Fernandez, Temple, Jr.
15. Chris Warren, Ole Miss, Sr.
16. Joey Rodriguez, VCU, Sr.
17. Ronald Nored, Butler, Sr.
18. Mickey McConnell, St. Mary's, Sr.
19. Derek Needham, Fairfield, So.
20. Damian Lillard, Weber State, Jr.

Top Five Freshmen

1. Kyrie Irving, Duke: It appears as if Irving is going to be as good, if not better, than advertised. He's got an excellent skill-set as a point guard -- terrific handle, great vision, range to the NBA three point line, dunk-on-you athleticism. What sets Irving apart is that he appears to truly understand the cerebral aspect of being a point guard. One way I have seen it described is that he plays like an NBA veteran. That will be important considering the amount of talent he will have around him at Duke.

2. Brandon Knight, Kentucky: Knight is the 2011 installment of the John Calipari star point guard. Knight, however, is a different kind of player than Derrick Rose or John Wall. His physical tools differ from Tyreke Evans, but his shoot-first mindset makes him closer to Evans as a player. Knight is a streaky shooter from deep, but other than that he has a full arsenal offensively. He'll be the guy taking the big shots for Kentucky this season.

3. Joe Jackson, Memphis: Jackson is an obscenely quick and athletic little point guard. He's got a terrific handle and can hit a three. Think Monta Ellis or Aaron Brooks. He's can be a big scorer when he needs to be, but the question for him this season will be whether or not he can run an offense.

4. Cory Joseph, Texas: Joseph is a very talented freshman joining a back court that has a couple of experienced point guards already on the roster in Dogus Balbay and J'Covan Brown. He understands how to run a team, and should start for Rick Barnes.

5. Josh Selby, Kansas: The question with Selby isn't necessarily his talent. Its his amateur status. Will he play this season? He's a very good scorer as a lead guard and would be walking into an opportunity to play big minutes in Sherron Collins' stead. If he gets eligible.