WCC Player Position Rankings: Point Guard

Welcome to our fifth and final day of West Coast Convo’s 2014-15 Player Position Rankings. We finish off with the point guards, always a hallmark of the West Coast Conference. From Steve Nash to Matthew Dellavedova, the WCC has a long lineage of elite floor generals. Often times a WCC team’s success or failure is heavily connected to the play of their starting point guard. This year should be more of the same as all five of our top point guards come from contenders who have big aspirations for the season.

5) JEREMY MAJOR – PEPPERDINE

Jan 11, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Pepperdine Waves guard Jeremy Major (3) celebrates after a three-point basket during the first half against the San Diego Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Coming in at fifth, Pepperdine sophomore Jeremy Major showed a great deal of maturity as a freshman and is primed to take a big step in his second season as a Wave.

In his first season in Malibu, in which the Waves outperformed expectations, Major showed just why fans of the program should be excited for the future. The Pasadena, California averaged 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2013-2014, and started all 31 games at point guard for Marty Wilson’s squad. Major was protective of the ball, especially for a freshmen, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.

In the upcoming season, Pepperdine is a potential team to breakthrough in the WCC because of some of the pieces that are returning. Brendan Lane, a senior forward for the Waves last season, has departed, taking away a potential low-post passing option for Major. However, with Stacy Davis, Jett Raines, David Jesperson, and talented freshmen in Ryan Keenan, A.J. John and Nate Gehring in the fold, Major will have plenty of post options to pass to in 2014-2015.

As the point guard, Major is an integral member of the team. Pepperdine will likely go only as far as David and Major plan to take them. Considered a middle-of-the-pack team in the WCC currently, Major’s play at the lead guard position will likely correlate into an improvement in the WCC standings.

– Josh Horton

4) AARON BRIGHT – SAINT MARY’S

February 16, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Aaron Bright (2) looks to pass the ball as UCLA Bruins guard Jordan Adams (3) looks on in the first half at the Maples Pavilion. The Bruins defeated the Cardinal 88-80. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Bright hasn’t played a minute of basketball yet for the Gaels, but his pedigree as a quality Pac-12 player puts him among our top point guards in the WCC. At Stanford, Bright was a very good player averaging 10.6 points and 3.5 assists per game in his last two full seasons. Despite not playing much his freshman year and missing most of last year due to injury, Bright leaves the Cardinal at 10th on their all-time assists list.

At Saint Mary’s he will be asked to be the next great guard that carries the Gaels. With the graduation of Stephen Holt, Bright should immediately step into a starting role and will be asked to lead the offense and provide opportunities for established stars like Brad Waldow. He has shown the ability to be a scorer and facilitator, and that versatility will be very valuable. He should be a facilitator first with all the talent around him, and that has always been a key role of the point guard in making the Gaels run.

But the fact that he can step up and get points when the others are struggling is really what makes him so valuable. He was a fantastic pickup for the Gaels in a year where they would have been very weak at guard without him. If Bright is everything he is hyped to be, the Gaels could have a big bounce back kind of year.

– Mark Kramer

3) CHRIS ANDERSON – SAN DIEGO

Feb 6, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Toreros guard Christopher Anderson (0) calls plays during the first half against the San Francisco Dons at Jenny Craig Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

While bright brings a lot of potential to his team, but he will have to compete for title of best assists man in the WCC with the reigning champion Chris Anderson of the Toreros. Anderson knows how to move the ball around. Last year he led the WCC and finished 11th in the country in assists per game. With a year left at San Diego, he’s already the school’s all-time assists leader.

Anderson also has a non-stop motor that allows him to play much than his small 5-7 frame would seem to allow. His ability to make a timely play when it’s needed the most is impeccable. He led WCC in steals per game last year, and he seems to make most of them in the biggest moments. The same can be said for his shooting. Anderson uses his small size to cut and drive to the hoop often making spectacular plays worthy of an ESPN highlight reel. One only needs to look at his epic twisting layup in traffic to defeat LMU in overtime during the 2012-13 season to see what we mean:

Anderson has impeccable court vision and awareness, and it shows up in his very impressive stat lines. Most point guards pace and offense and can carry a team, but there are times where you literally feel like Anderson is able to put the team on his back and change the outcomes of games. He is a premier point guard in a conference known for elite guards.

– Mark Kramer

2) KEVIN PANGOS – GONZAGA

Mar 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Kevin Pangos (4) reacts after making a basket against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first half of a men

Kevin Pangos is entering his senior season at Gonzaga.  He has proven himself as a sharp shooter from the outside and as a leader on and off the court. After a season plagued by injury Pangos looks to make a major impact during the coming season. Pangos has a similar motor to Anderson, and he is another elite guard leading the way for an elite team.

Pangos is most effective as a sharpshooter. He was tied with Sam Dower for most points per game for Gonzaga last year, and much of that was thanks to him finishing third in the WCC in three pointers made per game. Leave Pangos open, and he is probably going to drain the shot. Almost every opposing fan in the WCC can probably point to a moment in a game where their team fell to Gonzaga when Pangos put a dagger in their hearts with a huge shot.

He is also a capable source of assists and steals, so he can really do it all. The way he manages and elite lineup and ties the whole team together makes him a very valuable asset. He rarely blows up the stat sheet with huge games, but that’s because he doesn’t need to. He does everything you need a point guard to do so well that when you really need him, he delivers.

– MitchKrmpotitch/Mark Kramer

1) KYLE COLLINSWORTH – BYU

March 8, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Kyle Collinsworth (5) dribbles against Loyola Marymount Lions guard Evan Payne (1) during the first half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Collinsworth is one of the most versatile point guards in the entire country.  At 6’6 and 210 pounds, he has the ability to attack the basket and score against smaller guards.  He also has the court vision necessary to find open shooters such as Tyler Haws, Skyler Halford, Jake Toolson, and Chase Fischer.

Defensively, he can guard the 1 through 4, and he rebounds a lot more than almost any point guard in the country at over 8 boards a game.  Recovering well from an ACL injury, Collinsworth will have to prove that he can handle sole ball handling responsibilities without Matt Carlino to help him and develop his outside shot more in order to take the next step forward in his game.

– James Pigott