Sporting News, The: Panning for point guard prospects

It nearly is impossible to catch Kansas coach Bill Self without that wide, disarming grin spread above his chin. Right now, though, he's got a reason to smile. Many of the other coaches in this gymnasium are searching for point guard prospects like blackjack bettors wishing for another ace. The supply is short, but the Jayhawks grabbed theirs early in the game.

Down on the floor at Shadow Ridge High in Las Vegas, Alaska's next exceptional basketball product, Mario Chalmers, is playing with some not-so-great Alaskans. They are competing in the Adidas Super 64 event, one of three amateur club tournaments that recently took over this city. Chalmers is strong, long and fluid. He is an alert passer and effective shooter. He does not yet have a feel for what awaits him at Kansas--playing with, and trying to enhance, other talented players. As he figures that out, he'll likely become the best point guard to emerge from the high school class of 2005.

That might be the least flattering compliment Chalmers ever receives.

Never has the importance of effective playmaking been more obvious. Rarely have there been so few apparent options for teams seeking to add talent at point guard. This is not an especially good year for colleges to be seeking any sort of help at any position, but the shortage is worst where it matters most.

Recruiting analyst Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com figures some point guards will be recruited two levels above where their talent suggests they should play. That would mean a guy who ought to be in the Southland Conference will wind up in the Big 12. "I don't know what the junior college ranks look like," Telep says, "but somebody's got to go check them out."

The importance of employing a capable point guard can be gauged by measuring the gap last season between Georgia Tech and Michigan State. Those schools were the final choices for Jarrett Jack when he was recruited three years ago. Tech got him and two years later surged toward the top of the ACC and into the NCAA championship game. Without him, the Spartans struggled to create a consistent offensive flow, received only a No. 7 NCAA Tournament seed and lost an opening-round game to Nevada.

Indiana's miscalculation of Marshall Strickland's ability to play the point led the Hoosiers to finish 11th in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage. Louisville collapsed to a 4-9 finish after Taquan Dean, who had been successfully converted from shooting guard, injured his groin and could contribute only token minutes.

Programs now are so convinced of the value of point guard play they will employ as many as can fit into a lineup. Connecticut's 1999 NCAA championship team, with Ricky Moore and Khalid El-Amin, helped pioneer the dual-point approach. Following their success, Duke showed no reluctance to add Chris Duhon to a program that already featured Jason Williams. Wake Forest frequently uses Chris Paul, Taron Downey and Justin Gray together. Any one of them is capable of running a championship-level team.

The list of high school seniors who might manage that in the next few years is painfully short:

Byron Eaton, 5-10/185, Lincoln High, Dallas. Eaton was planning to choose between Oklahoma State and Cincinnati by the end of the July scouting period. He is strong, stocky and efficient--not jet-quick but with enough bounce in his step to penetrate defenses. He will make sound decisions, and he'll hit free throws. "As long as I don't turn the ball over and I get 10 assists, I've had a good game," he says.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6-51165, Cass Technical, Detroit. He's hard not to like as a player, but not everyone is convinced he's a point guard. Considering Cedric Bozeman's struggle to master the position as a bigger point at UCLA, whoever gets Douglas-Roberts will want to have an alternative plan.

J.P. Prince, 6-7/175, White Station High, Memphis. Although he has a lesser national reputation, Prince got the better of Douglas-Roberts in a Nike All-American Camp confrontation and seemed more natural at the controls of an offense. Prince's father was a longtime college assistant, so he has some of that coach's-son feel for the game.

Devan Downey, 5-10/155, Chester (S.C.) High. Small and speedy, he has toughness that makes his size less of an issue. But it's still an issue. That he is an effective defender does not completely remove the danger he can be overpowered.

There are a few others on the market with decent reputations, but these are the prizes. There is one more player who bears watching. Jeremy Pargo of Chicago's Robeson High has good genes (his brother Jannero has played in the NBA), and he was selected to the all-star game at the Reebok ABCD Camp despite entering the summer ranked outside the top 100. More important, Eaton raves about Fargo's strength and quickness. "We have the same style of game," Eaton says.

With the pickings so slim, coaches will take any suggestions they can get.

SPEED READS

* USA Basketball sent a clear message to North Carolina's Rashad McCants when he was cut from the Young Men's national team. If each coach who works with a player has issues--from Matt Doherty to Roy Williams and now Kelvin Sampson in this case--you can assume the problem is with the player.

* The mythmaking about Darius Rice has to stop. The former Miami Hurricanes forward, undrafted after four seasons, would not have been a lottery pick out of high school. One NBA executive told the Indianapolis Star that Rice was "top five for sure." Intended as an indictment of college, that's a sorry statement about NBA scouting. Rice wasn't top 10 in his prop class.

* The NCAA at last recognized $1,000 dinners and private flights distorted the recruiting process. But recommended rules eliminating these excesses are too nebulous. How much should be spent on a prospects dinner? Pick a number and take a stand, folks. Leaving room for interpretation gives programs license to stretch.

Off the market

The top point guards who made early decisions:

Rk.  Name            HUWt.     High school/Hometown  Committed to

1.   Mario Chalmers  6-1/175   Bartlett/Anchorage,   Kansas
                                 Alaska
2.   Greg Paulus     6-2/180   Christian Brothers
                                 Academy/Syracuse,
                                 N.Y.                Duke
3.   Mike Mercer     6-4/170   South Gwinnett/
                                 Snellville, Ga.     Georgia
4.   Dominic James   5-11/170  Richmond/Richmond,
                                  Ind.               Marquette
5.   Kyle McAlarney  6-1/180   Moore Catholic/
                                 Staten Island, N.Y. Notre Dame--M.D.

Help wanted

Among the prominent programs that are point guard shopping this summer:

Oklahoma State. John Lucas III finishes up this season. Byron Eaton of Dallas is the Cowboys' primary target.

South Carolina. The Gamecocks were an unselfish team last season, yet no one averaged more than 3.4 assists. They've offered a scholarship to in-state star Devan Downey.

Michigan. The Wolverines still have not refashioned Daniel Horton into a point, and they might lose him to the NBA draft next summer. Detroit's Chris Douglas-Roberts is a focus.

N.C. State. Herb Sendek has lasted eight seasons and reached three NCAA Tournaments without recruiting a true point who succeeded. He did turn wing Julius Hodge into an All-American at the position, but the problem is, this is Hodge's final season.--M.D.

INSIDE DISH By MIKE DeCourcy

Continued from page 1.

New Utah coach Ray Giacoletti is enthused about the return of Mare Jackson, who can play either guard spot. After averaging 9.4 points and 2.8 assists as a junior in 2002-03, Jackson left the program, citing a lack of desire to play. He is an outstanding shooter who hit 44.6 percent of his 3-pointers two seasons ago. Adding Jackson to PG Tim Drisdom and SG Richard Chaney gives Utah a strong, experienced backcourt; each player is a long-range threat. ... Injuries already had limited the pool of candidates for the U.S. team competing in the qualifying tournament for the Young Men's World Championship--then Wake Forest C Eric Williams, who would have made the cut, bowed out because of extreme dehydration. That allowed Villanova PF Curtis Sumpter a chance to return after having been cut. Coach Kelvin Sampson was concerned there wouldn't be sufficient size without Williams.... Sophomore C Chris Richard isn't expected to play when Florida makes a Labor Day trip to the Bahamas. Richard had knee surgery in May, and coach Billy Donovan says Richard faces a "long road" to reaching full strength. Also, sophomore SF Mohamed Abukar had offseason shoulder surgery. Neither he nor Richard has done much offseason training, which has Donovan concerned whether they can make significant improvement over last season.... The second portion of the summer evaluation period included three major tournaments run concurrently by Reebok, Adidas and Nike in Las Vegas. But what had some coaches talking was the Pangos Midnight Madness event that also was held in Vegas. It began at 12:01 a.m. on July 22, the day coaches were allowed to resume the scouting process. Coaches from about three dozen colleges felt compelled to attend, but some weren't pleased, thinking the event pushed the envelope too far. One coach said, "Do they not understand this is the kind of stuff that will shut down summer recruiting?" ... Duke and North Carolina offered scholarships to PF Jon Brockman of Snohomish, Wash. He had included both schools on his list of final choices but also is considering UCLA, Gonzaga, Washington and Arizona. Brockman might want to stay somewhat close to home.... Mississippi State is trying to lure PF Vernon Goodridge, a Brooklyn resident who attends Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia. He also is considering Connecticut and Georgetown.... One rising player on the recruiting scene is 6-9 PF Keith Darden, who is a key target for UTEP and also has been hearing from Arkansas and a few Big East schools. Darden, who is from Santa Fe, Texas, is quick, energetic and aggressive but needs to develop a more consistent jump shot.... No major-conference coach other than Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen saw wide-bodied 6-8 PF Tyrell Biggs of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., deliver an impressive performance against the NorCal Hoops team in Nike's Main Event. Biggs says he won't be rushed into making a college choice, though. "It's an important decision, and I want to take my time," he says. Along with the Panthers, Biggs is considering Maryland, Duke, Connecticut, Villanova and Virginia. Biggs might not decide until spring.... Former Washington and New Mexico player Senque Carey is joining Heath Schroyer's staff at Portland State. Carey is recovered from the paralysis he experienced after taking a charge during a game in November 2002. He worked as an undergraduate assistant coach with the Lobos after his injury.

MIKE DeCourcy's INSIDER

decourcy@sportingnews.com