220-211 PG's
220. DeWayne Russell-Grand Canyon (Junior)/14.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 41.2% FGP, 33.3% Three Point, 1.85 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Starting off this edition of the top 250 is Grand Canyon point guard DeWayne Russell. Coached by Dan Majerle, a good guard in his own right, Russell really improved in his first season with the Antelopes. His 1.85 assist-turnover ratio is drastically improved from his 1.03 ratio in his one season with Northern Arizona. Also important to note, Russell averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game, not bad for a 5-11, 155 pound point. Moving forward, Russell just needs to improve on his outside stroke (33.3%), as well as his shot selection (41.2% FGP). With one more season of eligibility, it should be fun to see what Russell can do as a senior.
219. Carson Puriefoy-Stony Brook (Junior)/14.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 38.1% FGP, 30.4% Three Point, 1.21 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Next up we have a New Jersey native, Stony Brook's junior point, Carson Puriefoy. Puriefoy has had an interesting college career up to this point. His freshman season was forgettable (5.3 ppg, 1.2 apg), but his 2013-14 campaign left a lot of Stony Brook fans excited for the future. And although his field goal percentage dropped a considerable amount (4.7%), his scoring (up 1.5 per game), and passing (.6 improved) drastically improved. Also, his work in the America East Tournament almost guided them to victory. His inconsistency as a scorer hurt his rank, but with one more year left, look for Puriefoy to go out with a bang.
218. Kyre' Hamer-Campbell (Sophomore)/8.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 51.6% FGP, 42% Three Point, .92 Assist-Turnover Ratio- If it wasn't for Hamer's awful assist-turnover ratio, this unorthodox point guard would be a few spots higher on the list. His 2.3 assists per game leaves a lot to be desired, but his great size (6-2, 200 pounds) and ability to hit the three (42%) added a new dimension to Campbell's offense. Also, his 1.6 steals per game was among the best in the Big South. Moving forward, he'll need to improve his work in the paint. For a guy that's 6-2 and over 200 pounds, there is no excuse for him to only get to the line 2.3 times per game. With a 73.8% free throw stroke, he can do a lot of damage at the line if he gets there more often.
217. Nick Coppola-UL Monroe (Sophomore)/9.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 40.9%, 39.3% Three Point, 2.16 Assist-Turnover Ratio- As far as traditional point guards go, you'd be hard pressed to find a better, more unknown guard then UL Monroe's Nick Coppola. Although he's only a sophomore, Coppola's impressive 2.16 ratio was among the best for any mid-major point this past season. Throw in a nice outside shot (39.3%), a decent field goal percentage (40.9%), and a great motor (36.3 minutes per game), and you have the recipe for one solid guard. His 1.7 free throw attempts per game is a very low number, but if he can improve on that, a bright future should be ahead for him.
216. Evan Kelley-Sacred Heart (Senior)/13.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 45.9% FGP, 22.4% Three Point, 1.14 Assist-Turnover Ratio- With a tall body and a not so large frame, it would have been hard for Kelley to make it as a shooting guard. And although he played the position pretty well his freshman season, he changed positions at the beginning of his sophomore season, and it worked out for the better. His three point stroke completely left him after freshman year, but his feel for the "1" spot strengthened. His 1.14 assist-turnover ratio is nothing special, but his ability to dominate from the midrange (45.9% FGP) while rarely turning the ball over (2.1 times per game) helped Sacred Heart win a fair share of games this past season.
215. Brandon Bos-South Dakota (Senior)/13.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 36.9% FGP, 34.8% Three Point, 1.0 Assist-Turnover Ratio- There are three basic types of point guards. If you're looking at it from the simplest of scales, it would go like this: defensive point guards, offensive point guards, and all around guards. Bos definitely falls into the second category. Never much of a defender, Bos's ability to score the ball was his saving grace. A solid three point shooter, Bos hit 1.5 of his 4.2 attempts per game from outside this past year, resulting in a 34.8% three point percentage. Combine that with his ability to slash the paint (4.2 free throw attempts per game), and you have an offensive dynamo for the Coyotes.
214. Wes Washpun-Northern Iowa (Junior)/7.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 48.6% FGP, 39.5% Three Point, 1.36 Assist-Turnover Ratio- This is not the season Northern Iowa was expecting out of junior guard Wes Washpun. He was a key part of last year's squad, but really struggled to find any kind of consistency this year. His 7.6 ppg was .7 less than last year, and his 2.6 assists per game were 1.2 less than last season. Worst of all, his minutes dropped from near 30 per game last year (29.4) to only 21.9 this season. That was most likely a result of his sporadic offensive play. He shot a fine percentage from the field (48.6%) and from behind the arc (39.5%), but his poor free throw percentage (68.1%) and questionable defense (1 spg) didn't really fit in to the Panthers game plan. With do-it-all senior Seth Tuttle graduating, look for Washpun to step it up big next year.
213. Darius Perkins-Utah State (Junior)/9.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 40.3% FGP, 42.5% Three Point, 1.57 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Perkins is more of the "do it all" guy. He's a great passer (3.3 apg), a decent midrange shooter (40.3%), and can bury threes if you give him the space (2-4.7). If he was a better defender (.6 steals per game), and worked on his free throw stroke (64.3%) as well as getting to the line (1.8 trips per game) he would have easily cracked the top 200 on my list. Also, he didn't show great control over his team at times. He missed a couple big time shots down the stretch of some games, and often times made poor decisions when his team needed him. If he can work on his play down the stretch as well as his free throws, Perkins could have a huge senior season.
212. Lonnie McLanahan-Texas Arlington (Senior)/11.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg, 45.2% FGP, 0% Three Point, 1.07 Assist-Turnover Ratio- Second year junior college guard Lonnie McLanahan had a short, albeit effective college career. Not really a "big name recruit" last year, McLanahan surprised Mavericks fans, going for 14 points and 3.5 assists in 26.9 minutes per contest. His senior season was a little disappointing (11.6 ppg, 3 apg), but he was a still a solid point nevertheless. His solid field goal percentage and decent assist-turnover ratio kept UTA competitive in almost all their games this year. His awful three point stroke (1-10 in his career) may hurt him when he's looking for work overseas, but his nice feel for the point is hard to teach.
211. Amir Bell-Princeton (Freshman)/8.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 49.4% FGP, 28.9% Three Point, 1.62 Assist-Turnover Ratio- His stats may not be as impressive as some of the other guys on this list, but freshman Amir Bell has a chance to be something special in the Ivy League moving forward. His unique ability to score in a variety ways really impressed me when I watched Princeton this season. It's not often you see a freshman both shoot 49.4% from the field, and have an assist-turnover ratio over 1.5. His three point stroke is the only part of his game that needs to improve moving forward (28.9%). If he can start hitting threes and free throws on a more consistent basis, this guy could make some noise in the years to come.
Men's Basketball's Top 250 Point Guards of 2014-2015
