Daniel Gibson, Texas- Gibson was steller in his freshman year at Texas last season averaging 14 points per game and won Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He really had to step it up toward the end of the year because starters P.J. Tucker was ruled academically ineligible and LaMarcus Aldridge went down due to injury. I'm expecting Gibson to be huge this year with the weapons he's provided with in Tucker and Aldridge returning and freshman C.J. Miles on the wing. If Gibson stays all 4 years, he could be one of the best PG's to ever come out of Texas! Rajon Rondo, Kentucky- Rondo did an outstanding job as the starting point guard last season in his first year at UK. Rondo wasn't even expected to start but came in and surprisingly broke Wayne Turner's freshman steal's record and was named to the 1st team all SEC Freshman Team. Rondo's vision of the game is amazing but he still needs to improve in a few areas on offense. Gerry McNamara, Syracuse- McNamara is one of the top five 3-point shooters in my mind. His 3-point % doesn't show that he's a good shooting guard, but he's very streaky and hits the 3 at right times. McNamara was originally a SG coming out of HS but is forced to play the PG spot due to his size. With Hakim Warrick gone, McNamara will have to carry the load on offense, so he's in for a big year in my opinion. Justin Gray, Wake Forest- Gray will get the chance to be the starting guard for Wake Forest this season with Chris Paul gone. He quietly averaged 16 points a game last year and flew under the radar with all the hype on Chris Paul. Gray was forced to play SG but will get the chance to move back to his original position at point guard and shouldn't disappoint. Daniel Horton, Michigan- Unfortunately, Horton was suspended for most of last year and fell under the radar due to that. He had a pretty good freshman year averaging 15 points per game and was then labeled as Michigan's future PG. He was even projected to be a 1st round pick at that time. He looked like he was going to explode last year in the first 13 games averaging 12 per game and 5 assists a game, but that quickly changed after he was suspended. Now he's back, and should be better than ever. Others to watch: Marshall Strickland- Indiana, Ronald Steele- Alabama, Mustafa Shakur- Arizona, Mardy Collins- Temple, Jeff Horner- Iowa, Aaron Brooks- Oregon, Toney Douglas- Auburn, Derek Ravio- Gonzaga, Quentin Thomas- UNC, Drew Neitzel- Michigan State, Marcus Williams- UConn Jordon Farmer- UCLA That's just a few, but if I left any out, be sure to write 'em down!
i think that steel, neitzel and UCLA's Jordan Farmar will all become stars next year. steel averaged 7.9 ppg and 5.0 apg in 34 minutes as a true frosh for the tide this year, and with kennedy winston's departure, his scoring figures to increase substantially. he had 16 pts 8 ast in bama's ncaa tourney loss. neitzel only averaged 3.5 ppg and 2.9 apg (he split time with chris hill), but he played better and better down the stretch, and has hardly tapped into his scoring potential. now that he'll be the full time starter at the point, i expect really big things from the kid. wouldn't surprise me to see 10 ppg and 7 apg. farmar was outstanding as a frosh, averaging 13.2 ppg and 5.3 apg. with dijon thompson's graduation, farmar has the potential to be an even bigger scorer. he learned very quickly last year, so i expect more of the same from him. others who i think will be outstanding are gibson, rondo, raivio and-surprise-duke incoming freshman greg paulus, who was absolutely brilliant in the mcdonald's all-american game. i think he'll be this year's farmar; a good starter right out of the gate. i'm thinking 8 ppg and 6 apg.
Great post, UKOwnstheSEC! If I had to rank the PG's next year, it'd look something like this - 1) Jeff Horner (Iowa) - Williams in UConn is an assist-freak, but Horner has a more all-around game. He also plays a lot more under control and has a much better shot than Williams. And 14.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 5.5 apg aren't too shabby of statistics either. 2) Marcus Williams (Connecticut) - Although averaging under 10 ppg, his 7.8 apg still puts him close to the top of this list. It can only get better from here too after returning what many are calling the #1 team in America next season. 3) Aaron Brooks (Oregon) - Brooks is a former McDonald's All-American that averaged around fifteen points and five assists last season. He should pile up the assists this year with Odia and Hairston in the backcourt. 4) Jordan Farmar (UCLA) - This pick may sound crazy, but I believe he was the Freshman of the Year last year. 13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.3 apg is pretty damn impressive for a Frosh. 5) Daniel Gibson (Texas) - He was thrown right into the fire last season at Texas as the starting Point Guard and really thrived. Not a lot of Frosh could have handled the pressure of leading a team like Texas, but he did a great job of it. 6) Daniel Horton (Michigan) - Like UK said, he was suspended (and injured) for almost all of last season, but he was one of the hottest prospects in America as a Freshman, recording 15.2 ppg and 4.5 apg. 7) Brandon Cotton (Detroit) - The potential for this kid has no roof. After being a High School American, he transfered from Michigan State to Detroit where he averaged 19 ppg last season. It should be interesting to see what kind of recognition he gets nationally playing for a smaller school this year. 8) Gerry McNamara (Syracuse) - He's one of the best shooters in the NBA and a great playmaker too, but it should be interesting to see how he does next season with no Hakim Warrick. 9) Derek Raivio (Gonzaga) - He had one of the best years statistically of any player in the nation and was only a Sophomore. Like Williams, he also has one of the best teams in the nation to run this year. 10) Rajon Rondo (Kentucky)/Dimitrius Coleman (Mercer) - I didn't want to pick between the two because they have two different games. Coleman is an experienced playmaker who is one of the best passers in the NCAA. Rondo is young and raw, but he's also one of the best defenders in the NCAA. Two different players, two different games, so I couldn't choose between them. I like your mention of Drew Nietzel, Schaddy. However, I think he's a few years away from being mentioned on the same level as these other guys. He was great for Michigan State this year just because we needed someone who could just bring the ball up the court and set up some plays. He's more of a role player than a star though. I'd also keep an eye on Quentin Thomas, Walker Russell, and Greg Paulus. Thomas didn't get almost any playing time at North Carolina last season, but that's because he was playing behind Raymond Felton. He was a big time recruit out of High School and will get a lot of playing time this year, so he should produce some decent stats. Walker Russell plays for a smaller school, Jacksonville St., but his game is anything but small. He is best kept secret in the NCAA. Despite his team's 7-22 record, he recorded 14.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 7.3 apg on the year. He has some serious pro-potential. Greg Paulus really impressed me in the High School All-Star games with his pass-first approach. I'm not sure if he'll start at Duke, but if he does, he'll be making a lot of noise.
I think you guys accidentally left ou Daryll Hill Gerry McNamera and Daniel Gibson were good picks. Out of the little I know from college basketball, I know these two players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">I like your mention of Drew Nietzel, Schaddy. However, I think he's a few years away from being mentioned on the same level as these other guys.</div> I really like his game, and I think that with the scoring they've lost, he'll make a big jump up the scoring ranks. I just really like his style, heady play and ability. We'll see how much he improves <div class="quote_poster">Quoting MrJ:</div><div class="quote_post">I think you guys accidentally left ou Daryll Hill </div> Hill is a fantastic scorer, but I don't know how much of a true point he is; he averaged 3.5 apg and 4.6 turnovers per game. Not to be bogus, man, but point guards also are measured by how well their teams do; if they lead winners, and right now Hill isn't leading his team to much, so I think he's a notch below these guys. A very talented player, though, for sure.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Schaddy:</div><div class="quote_post">Hill is a fantastic scorer, but I don't know how much of a true point he is; he averaged 3.5 apg and 4.6 turnovers per game. Not to be bogus, man, but point guards also are measured by how well their teams do; if they lead winners, and right now Hill isn't leading his team to much, so I think he's a notch below these guys. A very talented player, though, for sure. </div> Yeah, I know, I was just kidding because I'm a big Red Storm fan. I do think that Hill would have better assist numbers if he had more players to pass it to though.
No love for Guillermo Diaz? C'mon he's gonna be an amazing player he was in the top five in scoring in the ACC last year when that conference was stacked with scoing. My Top 5 is Daniel Gibson, Rajon Rondo, Guillermo Diaz, Gerry Macnamara, and Justin Gray
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dunkaholic32:</div><div class="quote_post">No love for Guillermo Diaz? C'mon he's gonna be an amazing player he was in the top five in scoring in the ACC last year when that conference was stacked with scoing. My Top 5 is Daniel Gibson, Rajon Rondo, Guillermo Diaz, Gerry Macnamara, and Justin Gray</div> Guillermo Diaz is more of a Shooting Guard, while Anthony Harris runs the point. And even if you want to argue that he is a Point Guard, how can you include him with guys like Daniel Horton and Marcus Williams? Diaz only averaged 2.6 apg (and 2.4 turnovers) on a 16-13 team. That's uncomparable to a guy who gets 7.8 apg on a 23-8 team.
Have you ever seen Diaz play? He may not play on a team who gets 20 wins but he's still a top ten guard. I guarantee he would kill half of the guys you guys listed if they playe a pickup game. Ho could you not list those guys when their surrounded by other great players. Diaz only has one other potential NBA guy in Robert Hite. Every1 talks about Reddick but Hite led the ACC in scoring for more than 1/2 the season. I consider Diaz the point guard because he carry's the ball most of the time.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dunkaholic32:</div><div class="quote_post">Have you ever seen Diaz play? He may not play on a team who gets 20 wins but he's still a top ten guard. I guarantee he would kill half of the guys you guys listed if they playe a pickup game. Ho could you not list those guys when their surrounded by other great players. Diaz only has one other potential NBA guy in Robert Hite. Every1 talks about Reddick but Hite led the ACC in scoring for more than 1/2 the season. I consider Diaz the point guard because he carry's the ball most of the time.</div> Nobody is cutting Diaz short here. He is simply not a Point Guard, and thus shouldn't be on the list. If you want to talk about athleticism or scoring, then this is the wrong thread.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dunkaholic32:</div><div class="quote_post">No love for Guillermo Diaz? C'mon he's gonna be an amazing player he was in the top five in scoring in the ACC last year when that conference was stacked with scoing.</div> Well, I do agree that he's a hell of a player, but i'm not sure what his real position is. On every scouting report that i've read, it has him as a PG/SG. But with his size, he should be playing PG full-time, he doesn't have a handle good enough to do so at the next level, though. He's not too good of a passer(2.6apg), he's more of a go-to-guy on offense. If it weren't for his speed and tenacity, he wouldn't be too good of a defender, but I won't count that against him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">7) Brandon Cotton (Detroit) - The potential for this kid has no roof. After being a High School American, he transfered from Michigan State to Detroit where he averaged 19 ppg last season. It should be interesting to see what kind of recognition he gets nationally playing for a smaller school this year.</div> I hadn't noticed you mentioned Cotton. Great point man. He was stuck at MSU, but now he's in a good spot to control a team at UDM, and I think he has serious NBA potential if he can improve his point skills some more. He's an excellent penetrator, playmaker and creator. He's like Nate Robinson; if he can just develop those pure point skills some more, he'll be an NBA player. He was awesome against UW-Milwaukee in the Horizon League Championship game. I hadn't seen him play all year, but I knew he was at UDM, so I actually watched and he was impressive. Big time sleeper.
