2010-2011 Season Preview: Top Shooting 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 shooting guards:

1. Nolan Smith, Duke, Sr: Smith has slowly and steadily developed as a basketball player, from a promising freshman to the kid that started over Greg Paulus to Kyle Singler's all-american sidekick. You would be hard-pressed to find a better all-around back court player than Smith. He's probably more of a point guard than he is a shooting guard, but sharing a back court with Kyrie Irving, Smith is going to spend most of this season playing off the ball. Smith doesn't have one skill that sets him apart from the crowd, but rather is one of these kids without a weakness in his game, the kind of player whose fundamentals and basketball IQ more than make up for relatively average tools. He can shoot with range. He can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim or create for a teammate. He's a crafty ballhandler that under stands how to change speeds. He gets after it on the defensive end. And most importantly, he is willing to play a role for this Duke team. Why are the Blue Devils so good this season? Because their third option offensively is the best two-guard in the country.


2. Austin Freeman, Georgetown, Sr: Freeman looks more like a tight end than he does a shooting guard, but make no mistake, this kid is as good as anyone in the country. His game centers around his jump shot, which is deadly on a bad day. When he gets hot, its over. Ask UConn, who saw Freeman score 28 in a half, or Louisville, who got 24 in a half from Freeman. Both of those games saw Georgetown trail by double figures in the first half. As a senior, he'll be counted on to attack the rim more often and to be more aggressive looking for his shot as the offense will run through him. Perhaps the biggest reason Freeman is so dangerous is that he is the perfect guard for John Thompson III's offensive system. He understands when and where his shots will come from in their sets, and he knows that if he is patient, he will be put in a spot to succeed.

3. LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor, Sr: Dunn is a 6'4" scoring guard that will make an appearance on quite a few first team preseason all-american lists. In a league full of talent, Dunn may just be the potent scorer in the Big XII. His offense centers around his jump shot, which he can hit with range and under pressure. In fact, his ability to hit contested threes may be his biggest fault; he tends to force jumpers early in the shot clock. He's not great when he puts the ball on the floor, but if he is able to beat his man, Dunn is very good at drawing contact and getting to the line. With Tweety Carter and Ekpe Udoh both gone, he will be relied upon even more for scoring as a senior.

4. E'Twaun Moore, Purdue, Sr: Moore is an interesting player. He's almost been the forgotten man for the Boilermakers during this run to prominence. Robbie Hummel, when healthy, was probably Purdue's most important player. JaJuan Johnson is the best NBA prospect. But I think I'd argue that Moore was the best player of the three. He's not the best three point shooter, but he'll make you pay if you leave him open. He's not a slasher per se, but he can get by you and finish in the paint if you crowd him. He's not Steve Nash, but he'll find the open man. He's smooth, he's intelligent, and he is a well-rounded player.

5. Isaiah Thomas, Washington, Jr: Thomas is unique in that he is listed at 5'8"; not many major college shooting guards are 5'8". And while he may be diminutive in stature, Thomas can certainly score with the best of them. He's at his best when he is putting the ball on the floor and slashing to the basket. He's very good with his short-to-mid-range game, and he's a crafty finisher around the rim. Where Thomas get into trouble is when he starts settling for jump shots. He's a good shooter and can get hot and knock down a few in a row, but he also takes some tough, quick, ill-advised shots from deep. You don't want a sub-33% shooter taking 200 threes in a season. If he can improve his shot selection while not losing any of his aggressiveness as a scorer, Thomas -- and Washington -- will be that much more efficient.


6. William Buford, Ohio State, Jr: This season will be a pivotal one for the development of Buford as a player. Thus far in his career, he's been basically a catch-and-shoot player, a guy that has thrived in the mid-range, coming off of screens, and knocking down the open jumpers created for him by Evan Turner. With Turner now out of the picture, we will get a chance to see the rest of Buford's repertoire. He will be the primary offensive weapon on Ohio State's perimeter, with Jared Sullinger roaming the paint. Without a proven point guard on the roster, it will be interesting to see if Buford can pick up some of that slack left by Turner's departure. It he does become a better scorer and creator in isolation, then this ranking looks smart. If he doesn't, it will look high. I think he will develop. Keep in mind, were talking about a guy that averaged 14.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg for a Big Ten tri-champion last year.

7. Durrell Summers, Michigan State, Sr: Summers has all the talent in the world. He has all the tools you like for in a two guard. He's athletic. He can get to the rim. He can finish above the rim. He has good size and strength. His problem is that he has never been able to put it all together for an entire season. So the question will be with Durrell Summers shows up this season. Is it the one that averaged 18.8 ppg in the NCAA Tournament, carried the Spartans to the Final Four, and was named the Midwest Regional MOP, or the one that scored in double figures just once in the last eight regular season games?

8. Kim English, Missouri, Jr: With the number of players that the Tigers are going to have in their rotation this season, it may be difficult for English to put up the same numbers as some of the other guys on this list. But don't think that doesn't mean English is just as good. At 6'6", English has excellent size for a guard, which allows him to get off his excellent jumper just about any time he wants too. He was strictly a jump shooter when he got to college, but has since expanded his repertoire offensively. I expect to seem him improve even more as a slasher and a finisher this year. He's also very good defensively, which you have to be playing in Mike Anderson's 40 minutes of hell system. I expect English to have a big year in 2011 as the best scorer on an underrated Missouri team.

9. Klay Thompson, Washington State, Jr: Thompson put up absolutely fantastic scoring numbers early last season, but as the year wore on, teams started to figure out that the Cougars didn't really have another viable option offensively. As defenses were geared more and more to slowing him down, he got fewer and fewer good looks. That should be less of an issue this year, as DeAngelo Casto and Reggie Moore will have gotten better over the summer. Don't let that fool you, either. Seeing defenses blanket Thompson should only reinforce how potent of a scorer he truly is.


10. Alec Burks, Colorado, So: In high school, Burks was largely ignored by the major scouting services. As a freshman as Colorado, he made those scouting services look foolish for not ranking him. Burks averaged a cool 17.1 ppg as a freshman, and he still has quite a bit of room to develop. He was at his best last season when he was able to put the ball on the floor. He's an excellent shooter in the mid-range, and has the size and athleticism to finish in and amongst the trees. As his perimeter shot continues to develop, he is only going to become a more complete player.

11. Tre'Von Willis, UNLV, Sr.
12. John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, So.
13. Kenny Boynton, Florida, So.
14. Ashton Gibbs, Pitt, Jr.
15. Randy Culpepper, UTEP, Sr.
16. Maurice Creek, Indiana, So.
17. Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, Jr.
18. Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, Sr.
19. Charles Jenkins, Hofstra, Sr.
20. Cory Higgins, Colorado, Sr.


Top Five Freshman

1. Will Barton, Memphis: Barton is a lanky, athletic wing that can do a lot of different things on the basketball court. He has range on his jumper, he can run the floor, he rebounds the ball well, he can lead a break, he's a good passer. Perhaps most importantly, he is going to get a chance to make an impact immediately at Memphis.

2. Dion Waiters, Syracuse: Waiters is a 6'3" combo-guard that can really shoot the ball. While Fab Melo, the Orange's seven foot freshman center, is the guy getting a lot of the hype in this freshman class, Waiters might turn out to be the best of the bunch. Jim Boeheim isn't a guy to mince words when talking about his team. He said that Waiters was the most talented freshman guard they've had in "a long time." Take that as you will.

3. Reggie Bullock, UNC: While Harrison Barnes is off being named a first team all-american and the preseason national player of the year, Bullock, like Waiters, is flying a bit under the radar hype-wise. But hype or not, Bullock will be filling an important void in UNC's lineup. He's a 6'6" guard with a deadly perimeter jumper, a role that was missing from last year's Tar Heel team.

4. Vander Blue, Marquette: Blue played with the the U-19 national team this summer and started alongside Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers, which should give you an idea of this kid's talent level. He's a tough, physical two guard that defends, runs the floor in transition, and attacks the rim. If he improves his jump shot, I see Blue being the second coming of Jerel McNeal.

5. Doron Lamb, Kentucky: Lamb is kind of a throw back player. He doesn't survive on raw athleticism and he doesn't live and die with the three ball. He's a smooth guard that thrives in the mid-range.