Analysis of the point guard class
Sixty-eight point guards (by our count) from junior colleges signed Division One letters of intent for the Class of 2006. JucoJunction is ready to break down that class. We will highlight a few of the big happenings on the point guard front in this class.
Doubling Up
Advertisement
A number of programs signed two players we have classified as point guards. A lot of these guys can play both spots, so they could both get plenty of playing time. And point guard is a spot where D1 coaches can never have enough depth.
Among the schools that signed multiple floor leaders are UTEP, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Marshall, Weber State, Illinois State and Florida A&M. The Thundering Herd actually signed two juco teammates, Mark Dorris and Marcus Moses to continue to play in the same backcourt.
Five to Watch
These aren't necessarily the five best players in the class. We're not quite equipped to make that evaluation at this point. However, these are five guys who should play prominent roles in their new home and who you could see playing in the NCAA tournament next March.
Charles Burgess: The Howard product was one of the top ten juco players in the country according to our rankings. Bob Knight brought in a huge junior college class this season and Burgess will be asked to return the Red Raiders to Big 12 prominence and the Big Dance. He will have some help in the backcourt with Jay Jackson a possible Big 12 player of the year and Martin Zeno a solid starter as well.
Stefhon Hannah: Hannah became the biggest late recruiting coup for Mike Anderson in his first year at Mizzou. The Tigers are coming off three straight subpar seasons and Hannah is well equipped to run Anderson's up and down style. Jason Horton will be the incumbent starter, but Hannah is expected to provide a major push for playing time.
Corey McIntosh: Unlike the first two, McIntosh isn't coming into a backcourt with established players. Will Blaylock and Curtis Stinson both bolted for the NBA and Greg McDermott will lean heavily on McIntosh in his first season.
Jamaal Smith: Smith transferred from Eastern Utah to Indian Hills and can put up points with the best of them. The New Mexico Lobos may have grabbed one of the elite junior college point guards in this class.
Andre White: When Anderson left UAB, Mike Davis came in and didn't miss a beat. White is one of the crown jewels as Davis tries to keep the Blazers at the level Anderson put them on. UAB will be looking for its fourth straight NCAA appearance and White will have a lot to say about whether it happens.
Five Sleepers
These guys may not be going to the high-majors and may not have gotten the headlines the others did. But they could be very good players at the next level.
Dominitrix Johnson: The Three Rivers guard put up good numbers in just about every category. Illinois State has a tough road to trek in the improving Missouri Valley, but Johnson could surprise many with steady play at the point…if he beats out Keith Richardson for playing time.
E.J. Maul: Maul's coach insisted that a lot of schools were going to regret not taking a look. He put up good numbers at Blackhawk and could be a big-time sleeper at Florida A&M.
DeMarcus Lyday: The Dodge City prospect pulled a slight surprise in committing to UT-San Antonio. He had options at bigger schools, but liked Brooks Thompson and his staff. He could be a nice get for the Roadrunners.
Darren Hopkins: Hopkins is part of perhaps the most heralded juco class of the year down at Lamar. He will team with the other newcomers and could really improve the Lamar team very, very quickly.
Chip Cartwright: Cartwright was fairly highly regarded by our juco experts and will play at Central Florida. If he can feed the post effectively to fellow Golden Knight signee Stanley Billings, UCF could see a nice improvement this season.
http://jucojunction.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=552467>complete list of point guard signees from the juco class of 2006.