250-241 PG’s
250. IJ Ready-Sophomore (8.2 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 39.9% FGP, 29.5% Three Point)-Mississippi State- Kicking off the 2014-15 top 250 point guards list is sophomore PG IJ Ready of Mississippi State. Standing at just 5-11, Ready is already at a disadvantage, especially when you consider the conference he plays in (SEC). Still, Ready is a fearless guard, often times attacking guys a lot bigger then him. His numbers don't exactly pop out of the screen, but his ability to pass (2.4 apg) without turning the ball over (1.4 apg) is a great skill to have. Considering he's still too raw to play at the NBA level, I would be shocked if he declared for the draft over the summer. If he hopes to improve for next year, he's going to have to find a consistent outside shot. He shot a rock solid 35.7% from behind the arc his freshman year, but struggled to really find a groove this past season, shooting 29.5% from behind the arc. He's an excellent free throw shooter (88.1%), so he should be able to hit at least 33% of his outside shots at a consistent basis.
249. Darian Anderson-Freshman (11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg, 38.8% FGP, 35.3% Three Point)-Fairleigh Dickinson- He may not play in as good a conference as Ready, but Anderson's work on both sides of the floor barely pushed him past the MSU product. Anderson is a little taller than Ready (6-1), but will need to put on some weight to boost his game. He weighs only 155 pounds, way too small to be a real driving force in division I basketball. Still, that didn't stop the DC native from putting up solid numbers in his first season of collegiate basketball. He didn't always play point, but when he did, he was pretty good at it. He owned a positive assist-turnover ratio (1.15), and could hit threes (35.3%). His field goal percentage (38.8%) and free throw percentage (68.8%) weren't great, and his 2.7 trips to the line per game showed he isn't always the most aggressive driver. Obviously, his free throw stroke and shot selection need some work, but if he can improve on those categories, next season could be huge for this young point.
248. Kareem Storey-Senior (7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.5 apg, 39.1% FGP, 36.2% Three Point)-Morehead State- Don't be mistaken by Storey's small size. He may be only 5-10, but this small bull weighs 190 pounds, and is not afraid to run over opponents that underestimate him. This frame lets Storey, who is pretty fast, attack the lane at will and find teammates for open shots (4.5 apg). He also rarely turns the ball over (2.5 per game), and can hit outside shots (36.2%). His stats didn't get much better than last season (6.8 ppg, 5.1 apg), but his outside shot looked a lot sharper this year compared to last (36.2% compared to 25.9%). He wasn't able to guide his Morehead State Eagles to an OVC title, but he was able to lead them to a few upsets in the OVC Tournament. He's had a great collegiate career, and his spot on this list shows that. He doesn't have the tools to survive in the NBA, but don't be shocked if you hear about Storey dominating overseas.
247. Cornell Johnston-Freshman (9.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 4.7 apg, 44.1% FGP, 52.5% Three Point)-Eastern Illinois- He may not be the most intimidating player in the league (5-7, 150 pounds), but Johnston's game more than makes up for his lack of size. The freshman showed great poise as a part of EIU's surprisingly decent run in the OVC. He dished out a team high 4.7 assists per game, only turned the ball over 2.5 times per game, and was absolutely deadly from behind the arc (52.5%). In fact, his 52.5% three point percentage is the highest among players who attempted more than 3 per game on average (1.7-3.2). His lack of size may be a turn off for NBA scouts, but that doesn't mean Johnston isn't going to have an excellent college career. If he continues to work and get stronger, this guy could be a 13-6 guy by next season.
246. Jay Wright-Junior (8.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.6 apg, 37.7% FGP, 39.4% Three Point)-UL Lafayette- With last year's stud PG Elfrid Payton off to the NBA, the Ragin’ Cajuns of UL Lafayette needed a new PG entering this year. Enter JUCO transfer Jay Wright. He only played 26.1 minutes per game, but was a key player in those 26 minutes. His 1.63 assist-turnover ratio wasn't quite as good as Payton's, but it is still a nice number. His ability to stretch the floor as the PG (39.4% three point percentage) also helped the Cajuns in a big way. His inability to hit free throws (59.4%) and sometimes questionable shot selection (37.7 FGP) hurt his overall rank on this year's list, but 246 isn't a bad spot for a JUCO transfer who hasn't played much competitive ball in his career. Losing big man Shawn Long is going to hurt the Cajuns as a team next season, but it could open the door for Wright to become the lead man. Look for him to be much higher next year.
245. Gary Winston-Senior (12.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 41.1% FGP, 42.7% Three Point, 1.6 Assist-Turnover Ratio)-Portland State- A big factor in this list is team success. Portland State had a chance to make some noise in the Big Sky Tournament, but lost early against Sacramento State. Gary Winston would be a couple spots higher if they had even made it to the finals. Still, Winston should undoubtedly be on the list. His ability to drive the lane, hit the three, and get fouled was a big part in Portland State's success in the regular season. When you look at four year college players, the first thing you look for is if they made progress each and every year. That's exactly what Gary Winston did. In his first season, he averaged 6.5 points and 1.8 assists per game on 41.8% FGP. In his senior season, those numbers jumped all the way to 12.1 points, 3.7 assists, and a 41.1% FGP The field goal percentage dropped a bit, but that's only because he took 10.1 shots per game (opposed to 5.2 per game as a freshman). He never got a lot of media attention, but Winston's excellent college career is what makes college ball so great.
244. Torrance Rowe-Junior (11.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 38.1% FGP, 33.8% Three Point, 1.35 Assist-Turnover Ratio)-Tennessee Tech- This may seem like kind of a weird pick. Rowe's numbers aren't as good as Winston's, not even close. However, Rowe's play down the stretch was good enough for him to pass Winston in my ranks. In his last four games, Rowe averaged 16 points and 5 assists per contest. TT lost all four of those games, but it certainly wasn't the JUCO transfers fault. He doesn't do anything particularly great, but he does a lot of things pretty well. He can hit outside shots (33.8%), drive the lane (2.8 free throw attempts per game), and dish out assists (2.7 apg). He doesn't have great size at the point (5-11, 175), but that's certainly big enough to succeed in the college game. I'm not expecting Rowe to average 16 and 5 all of next season, but 14 and 4 is certainly not out of the question.
243. Marcel Mosley-Senior (17.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 40.3% FGP, 38.1% Three Point, .74 Assist-Turnover Ratio)-AR Pine Bluff- At first glance on the stats, Mosley looks like a star. However, once you dig deeper, those stats start to look worse and worse. For starters, Mosley plays in the worst conference in college basketball, the SWAC. Secondly, he owns a sub-1 assist-turnover ratio, never a good thing if you're the PG of a team. Still, the raw stats are pretty impressive. 17.5 ppg is good for a career high, while the 38.1% three point percentage is near his career average. Also, his 5.7 free throw attempts per game and 81.8% free throw percentage are also both career highs. Pine Bluff didn't make the SWAC Tournament, but his final game against MVSU showed just how much he grew as a player. In 36 minutes of action, he scored 34 points on 13-20 shooting from the field.
242. Kedren Johnson-Junior (6.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 40.3 % FGP, 35.3% Three Point, 1.35 Assist-Turnover Ratio)-Memphis- When Kedren Johnson transferred from Memphis last season, a lot were expecting him to step into the PG position and thrive. It makes sense, considering he scored 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 3.5 apg in his first season at Vandy. However, he never really got comfortable in his first season with the Tigers. He only averaged 6.7 points per game in 23.5 minutes per contest. Still, he dished out 2.7 assists in that small time period. He has great size and strength at the point guard slot (6-4, 215), but never really attacked the rim as much as he should have (1.9 free throw attempts per game). Bottom line, Johnson is going to have to gain confidence for next season. He has all the physical tools, but will need to start to respect his own game moving forward, especially with Shaq Goodwin graduating.
241. Luke Nelson-Sophomore (10.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4 apg, 35.7% FGP, 30.3% Three Point, 1.53 Assist-Turnover Ratio)-UC Irvine- UC Irvine may have taken strides as a point guard this past season, but he may have digressed as an actual basketball player. For one, his field goal percentage really took a hit. He shot 41.3% from the field as a freshman, but only 35.7% this past year. Scariest of all, his three point stroke seemed to completely disappear. He shot 37.6% from behind the arc last season, but barely cracked 30% this past year. That could be blamed on an early leg injury, or just a lack of focus. Still, he has ability to drive the lane, hit midrange jumpers, and hit big shots down the stretch. Considering he's only a sophomore, and UC Irvine nearly beat Louisville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Anteaters fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming years.
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
