170 - 161 PG's
170. Marcus Thornton-William & Mary (Senior)/20 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 45.6% FGP, 40.2% Three Point, 1.26 Assist-Turnover Ratio- One of the best scoring point guards in the nation for the past three seasons, people were expecting big things out of Thornton for his senior season. And although he put up career highs in points, assists, and field goal percentage, he wasn't able to take his team to the NCAA Tournament. The Tribe have been knocking on the NCAA Tournament's hypothetical door for the past couple seasons, and were heavily favored to finally get a spot this past season. They ended up losing a heartbreaker to Northeastern in the CAA Tournament finals, losing by 11 points. And although the Tribe wouldn't have even been in contention if not for Thornton's incredible numbers, his inability to deliver in big games plagued him throughout his career. Still, his ability to score from anywhere on the court (especially from behind the arc) makes him a nice overseas prospect.
169. Traveon Jackson-Wisconsin (Senior)/8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 45% FGP, 29.7% Three Point, 1.62 Assist-Turnover Ratio- NOTE: Jackson's position on the list is hurt significantly because of injury problems. When healthy, Jackson is easily a top 50 point guard in the nation. His ability to see the whole floor, hit the outside shot, and dominate as an on-ball defender was a huge reason the Badgers were able to get to the Final Four last season. Unfortunately for Jackson (and the Badgers) he was injured early in the year, and hasn't been anywhere close to the player he was last season. With Bronson Koenig's emergence at the point guard slot, Jackson only saw 12 minutes in the team’s game against Kentucky in this year's Final Four. Still, if you watched the big bodied point play at all last season, you would know why he had to be an addition to the list.
168. Wes Clark-Missouri (Sophomore)/10.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 34.8% FGP, 31.4% Three Point, 1.55 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Wes Clark actually gained a lot of media attention this past season, but probably not for the reasons he was expecting to coming into the season. On February 10th, the Tigers were in a closely contested battle with rival South Carolina. Late in the second half, Clark and South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell both dove for a loose ball. When the pile was cleared up, Clark remained on the floor, clutching his left arm in pain. Turns out he dislocated his left elbow in the loss, and didn't end up playing for the rest of the year. If he is able to play next season, the Tigers will certainly receive a boost. Before the injury, Clark ranked first on the team in assists (3.1 per game) and second in scoring (10.1 ppg). Arm injuries are always tough, and the extent of Clark's injury still remains unclear.
167. Dylan Cox-Army (Junior)/10.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.8 apg, 54.7% FGP, 16.7% Three Point, 1.92 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Although he wasn't as exciting to watch as Wes Clark or Marcus Thornton, Dylan Cox's rock solid play earned him a spot higher on the list. For starters, the junior has shot over 50% from the field in each of his three seasons of collegiate basketball, a truly incredible number. It helps that he shoots only one three per game, sure, but it's more of a lift to his excellent decision making with the ball rather than a knock on his shooting. His ability to get to the basket was impressive (3.8 free throw attempts per game) but where Cox really shined was helping his teammates out on the offensive end. Army had one of the most well-balanced offenses among the mid-major teams, and their motor was none other than Cox. His 4.8 assists per game was among the top five in the Patriot, and his 1.92 assist-turnover ratio was a new career high. Moving forward, Cox will need to work on his defense. Army was one of the worst defensive teams in the nation in 2014-15, and will have to step it up if they hope to get to the postseason next year.
166. Charlie Lee-Cleveland State (Senior)/12.9 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg, 47.4% FGP, 47.6% Three Point, 1.90 Assist-Turnover Ratio- He's usually the smallest player on the court, but that doesn't mean he's the weakest. In fact, he's usually one of the best. Lee's ability to hit the three ball is truly astounding. He shot over 47% from behind the arc this past season, among the top five best in the country. He's not just a shooter though, in fact, he's far from it. His ability to find teammates (4 apg) while rarely turning the ball over (2.1 times per game) always kept the Vikings in games. He didn't make the All-Horizon first or second teams, which is an anomaly, but he was able to snatch a spot on the all-defensive team, a well-deserved recognition. He only averaged one steal per game, but his pesky and annoying defense kept even the most poised guards rattled. His size isn't going to help him find work overseas, but his tenacity and great shooting ability should not be overlooked.
165. Spencer Weisz-Princeton (Sophomore)/11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 46.5% FGP, 40.8% Three Point, 1.23 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year winner, high expectations were riding on Weisz's shoulders coming into this season. He came through. Although he started the season playing primarily the shooting guard position, he ended up playing a lot of point by the end of the year because of his excellent court vision and drive to find his teammates. With excellent size (6-4, 180 pounds) and shooting ability, Weisz was a tough matchup at either the 1 or the 2. He made a lot of improvements from last season's already solid statline, but the place that I was really impressed with was his ability to both get to the line, and hit free throws. He got to the line 2.4 times per game last year, not a great number, but not a bad one either. What was bad however was his free throw percentage, which hovered around 63% for the year. In 2014-5 he got to the line more often (3 times per game) and started to hit free throws (80.9%). All his hard work paid off, as he went from Ivy League Rookie of the Year to being a part of the All-Ivy second team.
164. Ron Curry-James Madison (Junior)/13.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 40.4% FGP, 42.2% Three Point, 1.86 Assist-Turnover Ratio- One of the most surprising teams in the CAA, James Madison went from conference punching bag to conference fire power in only one season. The leader of the charge? Junior guard Ron Curry. Leading the team in scoring and rebounding, it was Curry's great outside shooting (42.2%) along with his court vision that the Dukes relied on each and every night. He hit countless big shots down the stretch of games this season, but none was bigger than his game winner against Towson on February 7th. With the Dukes fighting for the third place spot, they traveled to Towson to take on a very game Tigers team. With the game tied at 61 with time ticking off the clock, Curry patiently waited for some space, dribbled to his left, stepped back, and won them the game. The Dukes should be just fine if Curry comes back for his senior season.
163. Josh Hagins-AR Little Rock (Junior)/12.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3 apg, 41.9% FGP, 33.9% Three Point, 1.88 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Although he remains as a virtually unknown guard who plays for a mediocre team, third year point Josh Hagins is coming off a nice little season in 2014-15. He didn't do anything that really stood out, but he didn't really have a weakness either. He shot fine from downtown (33.9%) dished out assists (3 per game) and could connect from midrange (41.9% FGP). He also swiped 2.7 steals per game (although he had 2.5 fouls per game as well). The one part of his game that could use a little improvement is his slashing. He has solid size (6-1, 180 pounds) and should get to the line more than he does (2.7 free throw attempts per game). He's shown he can hit free throws on a consistent basis (83.3%) so now it’s just a matter of putting his head down and attacking the heart of the defense.
162. Teddy Okereafor-Rider (Junior)/11.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4 apg, 38.3% FGP, 31.8% Three Point, 1.60 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Boy, do they teach defense at VCU or what? Okereafor, originally from London, England, signed with Shaka Smart's team back in 2012, and was part of the team's magical Final Four run a few years back. However, it was clear that Okereafor wanted more playing time then what he was getting with the Rams (8.3 minutes per game), so he transferred to Rider. It turned out to be a great call for the speedy guard, as he ended up playing 34 minutes per game (a team high) and being a leader for the Broncs. Also, his defensive prowess really showed with Rider. He averaged 1.7 steals per game, a team high, and second overall in the conference. With one more year of eligibility, Okereafor and the emerging Broncs should be able to make a push for the MAAC title next season.
161. Alex Harris-CS Fullerton (Senior)/15.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 41.5% FGP, 28.5% Three Point, 1.25 Assist-Turnover Ratio- To put it simply: Harris isn't scared of anything. He's not a particularly tall or big guy, but he plays like he's the next LeBron or D-Wade. And although he's probably not going to make it to the Association, he surely was fun to watch this past season. Playing with an unbelievable swagger, Harris commanded his team, even when he was on the bench. His 3.5 assists per game were a career high, and his defense (1.5 steals per game) won the Titans a few games singlehandedly this past year. The best part of his game, however, is his ability to get to the line. He averaged 6 free throw attempts per game this past season (.4 less than last season), showing he is not afraid of bigger, badder guys down low. His turnover problems and sometimes sporadic play isn't going to help his case as an overseas prospect, but his career at CS Fullerton is legendary among the fans.
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
