NCAA Tournament Manifesto: Guard Play

An excellent lead guard controls the pace and energy of the entire cast. Whenever the performance peaks too quickly or too deliberately, he must steady the rhythm. True point guards carefully balance fundamentals and freestyle.

The shimmy and shake of a stylish move is fan-friendly, yet point guards are not judged by the swivel of their hips or the bounce in their crossover. They can not be measured in points, steals, or even assists. To find the true worth of a tournament-tested general, just ask him the same two questions a mother asks her daughter after she arrives home from a taping of “Blind Date”: Did you keep your poise? More importantly, did you go all the way?

Mike Bibby answered both questions emphatically during the 1997 National Championship. Future NBA players Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon, and Jason Terry comprised a talented and experienced Wildcat backcourt, yet the freshman was their sage. Bibby’s consistency was frightening and his brilliant contributions were so plentiful they screamed redundancy. He scored. And passed. And rebounded. And defended. In two Final Four games, he danced to the beat of 39 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals.

When it comes to guard play, apparently age doesn’t matter. Duke’s Bobby Hurley (1991) and tiny Tyus Edney (1995) of UCLA proved size doesn’t either. And, as Kentucky’s Wayne Turner (1998) taught us, you don’t even need a jumper.

It’s all about punctuation. Sometimes point guards are periods and sometimes they are exclamation points. If they roll their coaches’ eyes, they might even be a question mark. Yet, no matter how they express themselves, their only job is to end the sentence… with a win.

The 2005 NCAA Tournament features punctuating points a plenty. They provide everything a champion needs.

Assists? Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Filiberto Rivera (UTEP), Aaron Miles (Kansas), Mustafa Shakur (Arizona), Marcus Williams (UConn), and Deron Williams (Illinois) are the St. Nick’s of college hoops, consistently distributing gifts to their big men.

Speed? The “Sparkplug Club” includes members Nate Robinson (Washington), Dee Brown (Illinois), and Drew Lavender (Oklahoma). Their swiftness opens up clear shooting opportunities for teammates and blurs the vision of their opponents.

Defensive toughness? Jarrett Jack (Georgia Tech) and Carl Krauser (Pitt) could eat rusty nails.

Shooting? Gerry McNamara (Syracuse), Daniel Gibson (Texas), Anthony Roberson (Florida), Derek Raivio (Gonzaga), Chris Hill (Michigan State), Chris Hernandez (Stanford), and John Lucas (Oklahoma State) are synonymous with words like touch and range.

If the questions above were compiled as a master checklist for the ideal point guard, Chris Paul, of Wake Forest, could answer “yes” to all of them. Engaging in an everlasting pursuit of perfection, Paul is a modern day Isiah Thomas. Now Paul and his fellow lead guards are attempting to do what Thomas did with Indiana in 1981: Choreograph a championship.

Secrets For NCAA Tournament Success:

Each day leading up to the Big Dance, CHN will be unveiling a different Secret for NCAA Tournament Success. Check the NCAA Tournament Manifesto homepage for more info.