The point guard is the leader of the team, no doubt!

It is the point that must lead by example, set up the play, who must decide who to give the ball to, when to give them the ball and it’s the point that must decide when and if they want to take the shot for themselves.

In college you usually ask the point to be more of the scorer because most teams don’t have the inside presence of a dominant power forward or center to get high percentage shots, like they do in the pros, although this is steadily changing.

The following top college point guards show the ability to get their teammates the ball, not just when wide open but when it unexpected. They show the ability to run the team with their heads up and make good decisions with the ball. They also avoid turnovers, getting the right person the ball and getting the ball to the person in a position to score. Look out for these players as play in upcoming tournaments, and a couple make moves to the higher level.

Chris Thomas, sophomore, Notre Dame, 6-1, 182

This second year guard has excellent court vision and the ability to be a go to guy when it matters most. Leading the Notre Dame team into NCAA tourney time has been no problem for Thomas who has averaged 18 points, second on the team, while also grabbing 3.4 rebounds and dishing out an extremely remarkable 7.3 assists. A tribute to his vision and placing of the ball is his 1.9/1 assist to turnover ratio. Thomas can run the floor and find people with rare competition. Although he doesn’t shoot a high percentage (40 percent from the field) he can make any shot on the floor at any time, whether it’s a long three, a slashing lay-up or a mid-range jumper. Not the one to slack off on and double someone else with.

T.J. Ford, Sophomore, Texas, 5-10, 165

The point guard who loves to attack! This small guy is the show for Texas (ok, maybe Royal Ivey and the rest of the bunch have something to say about that) and he takes a beating leaving you amazed when you read the roster and find out he’s only 165 lbs. Ford, led college basketball in assists last season as a freshman with 7 assists a game and he hasn’t let up still averaging 7 assists with a standard for a point guards 2/1 assist to turnover ratio. He averages 14.7 points a game grabs 3.8 rebound and is also a thief with 2.2 steals a game. Ford takes a lot of shots, and the result is a low 41 percent from the field. He also must work on extending the defense with an occasion three-point basket. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, as he is a floor general with no fear that will take the meaningful shot or make the pass in a tight jam or wide open.

Luke Ridnour, Junior, Oregon, 6-2, 175

This point guard leads an up and down Oregon team knowing he must set the tempo and usually make the tough shots. This is why he leads the team in scoring, (19.5 points per game), assists (6.5 assists per game) and is tied with fellow Luke (Jackson) is tied for the team lead in steals with 1.9 per contest. Ridnour isn’t your typical pass first point but he’s not selfish either willing to pass in traffic and kick it out for the three or inside for the high percentage bucket. He can also stop on the dime a pull up for a jumper at any time against anyone in the country. His handle is exceptional and he’s used to being the main scorer from his high school days in Blaine, Washington so you have to defense pressure on him from opening tip or he’ll be the single reason you lost that day. A better shooter than even his middle of the pack 43 percent shows (36 percent from 3-point land), he has had to take more shots (along with Jackson) after defections from center Chris Christoffersen and shooting guard Freddie Jones, both seniors.

Chris Duhon, Junior, Duke, 6-1, 190

A capable scorer who has a love for the deep (one to two feet inside the half court line) Duhon is also the teams’ defensive stopper at the guard position and is in charge of getting the go to guys of the year (whether it be in the past: Jason Williams and Shane Battier or the present duo of Dahntay Jones and freshman guard J.J. Redick) the ball. Duhon started at the point for the latter part of the Blue Devils 2001 championship run letting Williams play the off-guard position and guarding the other teams best penetrator. It’s that experience that will be expected as Duke brings a very young team into postseason time. He averages 6.8 assists a game with a 2.5/1 assist to turnover ratio while grabbing 3 boards. And though he only averages 9 points a game he also has to share the backcourt with high school All-Americans, Daniel Ewing, Redick, and Sean Dockery.

Jason Gardner, Senior, Arizona, 5-10, 191

This is an experienced leader who likes his teammates to feel like a man on laughing gas: happy! One of the few remaining Wildcats from the 2001 NCAA national championship runners-up, Gardner has taken his four years and refined a game that looked ready to pack up and leave to greener NBA pastures after his sophomore year. Capable of taking big shot (14 points per game) Gardner does a great job of getting himself and teammates Luke Walton, Channing Frye and Ricky Anderson the ball where they can do something with it (5.2 assists a game with a 2.9/1 assist to turnover ratio). Gardner has an uncanny ability to get in between the goal and the defender and make a play. He loves to drive and dish, can hit the opener jumper, even off the dribble and has won several games for Arizona with a late three or bounce pass to a cutter for a lay-up. Although a defensive liability because of his size he gets his steals (1.8 per game on the defensive end) and has good weight to bump off defenders. Gardner has to work on his shooting (41 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point land) to make a lasting splash on the next level.

Honorable Mention: Steve Blake, Senior, Maryland, 6-3, 170

Blake is a gamer who seen more intense action in the ACC than anyone. A long defender and heady point guard, Blake helped Maryland bottle Jason Williams of Duke up and helped lead them to the national championship in 2002. Blake plays with his head up finding open men in the paint as well as on the wing for the open shot. He isn’t flashy but he’s consistent and works best around a talented team. His averages of 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists (2.1/1 assist to turnover ratio), 1.4 steals, 81 percent free throw percentage and 44 percent three-point percentage obviously says he’s a steady contributor. His ring from the 2002 national title says he’s a winner!

Tell me who are your top point gaurds?
email me at caar_geoclan@yahoo.com.