Point and click: in what promises to be one of the biggest seasons for little men. The unique abilities of these point guards will drive their teams and their sport

Sporting News, The, Nov 19, 2001 by Kyle Veltrop

Top five ballhandlers

1 Brett Nelson, Florida. He will play some shooting guard, but the Gator who brings the ball up the court will funnel it to Nelson right away to take advantage of his ball skills.

2 Frank Williams, Illinois. Couple his ballhandling with his unbelievable power for a point, and Williams can be close to unstoppable on his drives to the hoop.

3 Jason Williams, Duke. Of all of the things in Williams' rich repertoire, his crossover might be the most stunning.

4 T.J. Ford, Texas. The 'Horns are lacking a point guard no more. This kid single-handedly will jack up the rpms of a previously plodding program.

5 Andre Barrett, Seton Hall. His ability to dart through traffic and weave around the court is difficult to stop given his great quickness and the way he treats the ball with care.

BEST BALLHANDLER: BRETT NELSON

School: Florida

Year: Junior

Ht./Wt.: 6-3/182

Hometown: St. Albans, W. Va.

Nelson on ballhandling

Ballhandling means everything. It's a really important tool. It feels just as natural for me to have the ball in my hands off the dribble as it does when I'm catching and shooting it. The ball feels like part of my hand, really.

When I was growing up, everywhere I'd go, I'd be carrying a basketball. I'd be dribbling while walking down the street or when I was with my buddies. Wherever I was, I'd always have a ball.

I have always had a knack for handling the ball. I've worked on it for as long as 1 can remember. I always did a lot of ballhandling drills growing up--full-court dribbling moves, inside-out, crossover, behind the back, between the legs, figure-eight dribbles, spider drills--and I think that's why I can handle the ball so well today.

I really don't have a favorite move. I pretty much do whatever is instinctive. I use my dribble to set up my own shot, especially coming off pick-and-rolls. One of the best things to do is to hesitate, and if a guy goes for it, you go right by him, take one dribble and then pull up. If he doesn't go for it, act like you are going to hesitate again, then just shoot. Or a lot of times, I at a guy as hard as a defense with your dribble.

Top five defenders

1 John Linehan, Providence. College basketball's ultimate pest uses his unparalleled quickness to attach himself to his man. He ranked fourth in the NCAA with 3.12 steals per game last season.

2 Steve Blake, Maryland. Duke's Jason Williams, a 47.3 percent shooter last season, shot 36.6 percent against the Terps in four games. Blake's defense was the reason.

3 Chris Duhon, Duke. His ability to clamp down on opposing point guards frees the defensively challenged Williams to worry about offense.

4 Kevin Braswell, Georgetown. He's overshadowed in the Big East by Linehan but know this: Braswell already is the career steals leader at a school with a pretty fair defensive tradition.

5 Hollis Price, Oklahoma, Coach Kelvin Sampson demands good perimeter defense, which is why Price is one of his favorites. Price recorded three or more steals 10 times last season.

BEST DEFENDER: JOHN LINEHAN