One year after winning the national championship, North Carolina will struggle to return to the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels have a solid nucleus that includes three McDonald's All-Americans, but they don't have a point guard. Not a good one, anyway.
That should never happen, not at a school like North Carolina.
But what are you laughing at, Maryland? It has happened to you, too. And to you, Indiana. And you, Syracuse and Wake Forest and Mississippi State.
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| Danny Green leads a green bunch at point guard for the defending champions. (AP) |
Read on, but beware: Your team might be among this dirty dozen.
North Carolina: The presence of Raymond Felton limited the Tar Heels' ability to recruit a replacement. Last year UNC went for some insurance in Quentin Thomas, but the recruiting analysts who ranked Thomas among the top 50 players in the Class of 2004 were wrong. Top 500? Sure. Top 50? Good heavens, no. With Felton gone to the NBA after his junior year, and until Tywon Lawson arrives next season, North Carolina will have to make do with Thomas and three freshmen who are better off the ball: Bobby Frasor, Danny Green and Marcus Ginyard. The first game was an ominous 83-80 home win Saturday against Gardner-Webb.
Mississippi State: Instead of starting this season for the Bulldogs, Gary Ervin is sitting out as a transfer to Arkansas. His potential replacement was Monta Ellis, but Ellis entered the 2005 NBA Draft out of high school. His replacement, unimpressive Jamall Edmondson, went down with a pulled groin. And so freshman Richard Delk, a natural wing, played the point as Mississippi State barely beat Division II West Florida in its exhibition finale. Edmondson returned Saturday for the Bulldogs' win against Chattanooga.
Arkansas: What's Arkansas doing on this list anyway? With the EA Sports Maui Invitational set to begin Monday, the status of senior Eric Ferguson remains in limbo. He was arrested earlier this month on DWI charges and was withheld from both exhibitions. Ferguson's court date was set for Monday, the day Arkansas plays Connecticut. Like it matters. The Razorbacks apparently have a fine Plan B in senior Dontell Ferguson, who tied a school record with 15 assists in Arkansas' season-opening victory Friday against Portland State. Ronnie Brewer, a versatile 6-foot-7 junior who defies position, also can handle the ball. Next year? The above-mentioned Ervin becomes eligible.
Syracuse: Sophomore Josh Wright was apparently overrated in the high school Class of 2004. A top 50 recruit on some charts, Wright's still trying to break into the rotation on a consistent basis. Until he does, it'll mean a second consecutive season at the point for senior Gerry McNamara, who's not bad on the ball -- but is more comfortable off it. The Orange will be able to get it done with McNamara and freshman combo guard Eric Devendorf, but the emergence of Wright would take Syracuse to another level. In the meantime, Syracuse has more turnovers (63) than assists (58).
Purdue: Two months ago, the Boilermakers were in fine shape. Junior college transfer Tarrance Crump was set to start, and freshman Korey Spates was the backup. Then Crump was involved in a hit-and-run accident in September, causing his eventual season-long suspension from the team. That left Spates as the only point guard on the roster. Then he was suspended indefinitely Nov. 7 for attitude reasons. With Spates missing both exhibition games, Purdue went with senior Bryant Dillon, a 6-6 wing, at the point. Spates returned -- off the bench -- and had 16 points with four assists in the Boilermakers' 82-75 win Saturday against Wofford.
Connecticut: As fast as you can say reboot, the Huskies went from having two promising point guards to having none. They lost starter Marcus Williams and backup A.J. Price to a scandal involving stolen laptops this summer. Williams is missing the first six weeks, while Price has been suspended for the season. In their absence, freshman Craig Austrie started the Huskies' opening win Friday at Pepperdine and lasted 17 seconds before being replaced by freshman Robert Garrison, who immediately turned it over. Neither player is a prototypical UConn talent, but Austrie is serviceable until Big East play begins. And on the bright side, his forced minutes now should pay off later when he becomes Williams' backup. Next season, assuming Williams turns pro, the job probably will belong to Price and recruit Doug Wiggins.
Indiana: Senior Marshall Strickland has been a decent guard for the Hoosiers, but he never panned out at the point. Before injuring his thumb last month, sophomore A.J. Ratliff was looking like another Strickland -- a decent guard, if not a point guard. That leaves the job in the hands of Auburn senior transfer Lewis Monroe and Earl Calloway. Monroe had 10 points, seven assists and one turnover in the Hoosiers' season-opening victory Friday against Nicholls State. Calloway, a juco transfer who put up monster numbers in two exhibitions -- 15 assists, two turnovers -- had one assist and two turnovers Friday.
Miami (Fla.): The Miami backcourt is a mess without injured junior Anthony Harris (foot), who isn't expected back for another month. Without him, the 'Canes lost to Air Force in Seattle, blowing a 12-point lead in the second half. Freshman Denis Clemente has been playing the point, but not well. He is shooting 34.4 percent from the floor with seven assists and 11 turnovers through four games, putting too much burden on shooting guard Guillermo Diaz to direct the offense. Robert Hite's another guard, but Hite doesn't worry about anything but shooting.
Wake Forest: Because Chris Paul had that look of another fairy-tale four-year Wake Forest guy (remember Tim Duncan?), the Deacons were unable to recruit another point guard to replace him when Paul did the unexpected expected ... and entered the 2005 NBA Draft as a sophomore. Senior replacement Justin Gray is fearless, but he's not a point guard -- painfully demonstrated by his 27 turnovers through three games. His freshman backup, emergency May signee Shamaine Dukes, isn't ready to run an ACC team. Not now, and maybe not ever. That's why Wake Forest signed Ishmael Smith from the Class of 2006.
Maryland: When junior John Gilchrist entered the 2005 NBA Draft, the Terps were left with a pair of juco transfers, senior Sterling Ledbetter and junior Parrish Brown. The winner of their duel was ... junior D.J. Strawberry, moving over from small forward after missing much of last season with an injury. His backup is neither Ledbetter nor Brown, but senior shooting guard Chris McCray. No wonder Maryland has two potential point guards in its 2006 recruiting class, Greivas Vasquez and Eric Hayes.
LSU: With junior Tack Minor serving a multi-game suspension for academics, unheralded freshman Ben Voogd and wings Darrel Mitchell and Garrett Temple are directing the offense. The results were mixed in the opener, considering LSU blasted Southern 84-56 but had more turnovers (17) than assists (14). Not that Minor is the ideal long-term answer. LSU had hoped to give him competition next season with D.J. Augustin, but Augustin spoiled that plan by signing last week with Texas.
Georgia Tech: The Jackets expected to lose junior Jarrett Jack to the 2005 NBA Draft. They didn't expect to lose recruit Austin Jackson to the 2005 MLB Draft. Jackson, a center fielder, signed with the New York Yankees after being taken in the eighth round. So Georgia Tech's point guard is sophomore Zam Fredrick. In Tech's first game, Fredrick was brutal -- six points, one assist, five turnovers. Class of 2006 recruit Javaris Crittenton can't get here fast enough.
