During the Kentucky-UNC game I was flipping to Miami-UMass during commercials. The juxtaposition was extreme going from sold out Rupp Arena to a Bank United Center that was so empty you could hear what fans were yelling at the refs. Miami has a great pair of guards in Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant, but the announcers were busy talking about the Kentucky-UNC game, and specifically about Kendall Marshall. I’d just been watching Marshall on a different channel – which was odd – but the parallels between the crowds and who the announcers were talking about struck a chord. No one cared about the Miami game, and everyone loves Kendall Marshall. Since bursting on the scene with 16 assists versus Florida State last year the media has been quick to anoint him as the best distributor in college hoops. And to round out the story the media finally caught on to how good Iona’s senior point guard Scott Machado is – so now they have the 1-2 punch. It seems important for announcers to commit their loyalty to Marshall at powerhouse North Carolina, or to Machado as the pesky mid-major darling.
But there are other point guards out there toiling in obscurity. Looking at assist rates five of them have higher numbers than Machado (who’s got a higher rate than Marshall). It’s time those guys got some love.
Tim Frazier, Penn State
After three seasons of Talor Battle being the face of Penn State, the Nittany Lions entered the season with only one returning starter: junior PG Tim Frazier. Eight games into the season and he has the best assist rate in the nation (56.47). On a team that struggles to average a point per possession Frazier is still the top assist man in the Big Ten. He’s also 2nd in scoring and 8th in rebounds (despite weighing in at 170). Penn State heads into tomorrow’s matchup with Mississippi at 6-2, and if they can finish strong in ooc play they could surprise some people, and Frazier – who does everything for Penn State – is the reason.
Emanuel Chapman, NC Central
Here’s a lesson for all the backup players out there. NC Central’s starting point guard has been Justin Leemow since he transfered from South Florida. Unfortunately, three games into the season Leemow was arrested with a pound of marijuana. Out goes Leemow, in comes sophomore backup Emanuel Chapman. In three games over the Thanksgiving break Chapman racked up 37 assists and is averaging 7.4 on the season (8.3 if you throw out a game in which he played 8 minutes). Chapman really struggles to score, but at least he doesn’t compound the problem by being high volume. He understands his game and he plays it.
Randy Davis, Ball State
As a junior Davis doubled his assist rate, and now he’s increased it by another 50% and is one of three players nationally with a rate above 50. In their opener against Arizona, Davis got to show his skills to a national audience and dropped 11 assists. Since then he’s averging 7.7 a night (which leads the Mid American and is 4th nationally) and has 46 assists to just 9 turnovers. I’m not a fan of A:T ratios, but even I will admit that greater than 5:1 is pretty impressive. Ball State last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and Davis is hoping to lead them back this year.
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh
Although he’s prone to turnovers, I’ll cut him some slack for everything else he brings to the court. He’s 9th nationally in assist rate. He’s knocking down 46% of his 3s, 62% of his 2s and 85% of his FTs. And now if Pitt fans want to see how valuable he is, he’s projected to miss the next month with a groin pull and abdominal tear.
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State
You don’t see too many players like Nate Wolters in the Summit League. The 6’4 junior could play anywhere in the country. For the Jackrabbits, he does everything. He’s gotten off to a slow start from long range (30.4% after shooting over 40% last year) so it’s safe to assume that those will begin to fall. Still, he converts over 47% of his 2s and is one of the best players in the country at getting to the line. He currently leads the conference in assists, and is 2nd in scoring.
