Problems at the point can't be hidden

Sporting News, The, Jan 14, 2002 by Mike DeCourcy

As a coach who does not have a true point guard and whose team is fighting to claw to the .500 mark, it's tough for Tennessee's Buzz Peterson to sympathize with NCAA Tournament-bound coaches whose point guards haven't demonstrated they are Final Four caliber. But he knows what having such a player can mean.

"Good point guards can take you all the way," Peterson says. "They can make you look like a genius."

A talented team can win a lot of games without exceptional playmaking, especially against overmatched non-league opponents. But the demands of conference competition can expose or compound a team's point guard problems, forcing a solution to be found--or else.

The Top 25 is littered with teams searching for answers at this most important position. These are but a few:

* Iowa: Pierre Pierce. An excellent athlete whose 6-4 height can be a significant advantage, Pierce has not yet demonstrated he can handle a 30-minute workload consistently. He has hit that mark only three times, which has hindered his ability to improve as an offensive leader.

Although coach Steve Alford has been able to mix in first-year junior college transfer Chauncey Leslie, the Hawkeyes average only 1.4 more assists than turnovers. Comparatively, Maryland--with three-year starter Steve Blake at the point--averages 4.0 more assists. In a 10-point loss at Ohio State, the Hawkeyes had 10 more turnovers than assists.

Pierce is only a freshman, and he did not expect to be a dominant player immediately. He is working to gain confidence, but he does not have great shooting range (1-for- 12 on 3-pointers) to distract defenses as he learns.

* Florida: Justin Hamilton. Coach Billy Donovan believes the knee injury that robbed Hamilton of part of last season did not damage Hamilton's athletic ability, and it has caused him to play with more hunger. "He takes nothing for granted," Donovan says. Hamilton ranks among the best defenders at the position.

On offense, though, Hamilton is not especially adept at creating shots--for himself or his teammates. He is a model of efficiency, generating nearly three assists for every turnover, but when Florida needs to concoct a play to beat the shot clock--which is rare for a team that presses and runs--it usually turns to shooting guard Brett Nelson, a point guard his first two seasons as a Gator.

Donovan likes the versatility that comes with starting three players--small forward Orien Greene is the other--with extensive point guard experience.

However, it can help a team to know which player should have the ball in tight circumstances. Against Arizona, the Gators' only loss, Hamilton did not play down the stretch. Florida has played mostly one-sided games since, but it eventually will have to deal with that kind of late-game pressure again.

* Kentucky: Cliff Hawkins. In the Wildcats' overtime loss to Duke, Hawkins turned loose his strength and quickness on an unsuspecting opponent. Even a capable defender like Duke's Chris Duhon could not prevent Hawkins from penetrating.

Hawkins has averaged 10.7 points and 6.2 assists in the four games since, and he delivered his first career double-figure assist game in an overtime loss at Mississippi State. Hawkins is flush with confidence, and it has made Kentucky a better team.

But it also has helped cost the Wildcats a couple games. Hawkins' approach to late-game situations led him to mismanage the clock at the close of regulation against Duke, when he fired a 35-foot heave though nearly two seconds remained. At the end of regulation against Mississippi State last Saturday, Hawkins drove the baseline and missed badly, ignoring open teammate Tayshaun Prince. In the final seconds of overtime, Hawkins took on two defenders and missed an off-balance 3-pointer.

Hawkins' defensive gambling aiso put him in immediate foul trouble against Western Kentucky and Duke. This limited his playing time to a total of 42 minutes in those defeats.

"He sometimes has a tendency to take some chances," coach Tubby Smith says. "We need him to stay focused and disciplined on defense as well as offense. He sets our tempo on defense."

* Missouri: Wesley Stokes. A sophomore in his first full season as a starter, Stokes has the physical tools to be a superb college point guard, but he still is new to the position's strategic demands.

He has confidence in his ability to make tough plays, which sometimes leads him to take foolish chances. He also defers too often to upperclassmen Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert, high-scoring wings who are prone to forcing their shots even on tough days. Against DePaul, Rush and Gilbert shot a combined 10-of-34 and center Arthur Johnson was 10-of-17. But the ball kept flowing to the perimeter.

"He's got to know when to pull the ball out and take control of the possession," says Tigers assistant Lane Odom. "The team has a tendency to play fast, aggressive, and he has to embrace structure. That will help his game, help him run our team."

While Missouri struggled through a three-game losing streak, Stokes shot 3-of-23 from the field. That was widely interpreted as the source of his problem, but instead it was a symptom. He was shooting early in possessions instead of allowing the play to flow long enough to lead to better opportunities.