Who is the best MVC shooting guard?

[Rollbird5]

I won't make a case for Matt Bohannon to be the best all round SG in the league, because he isn't. He is, however, likely the best pure shooter.

In conference play Matt Bohannon had a true shooting % of 63.8 (Beane was next at 59.3), was 2nd in effective FG percent at 63.1 (none of the others mentioned in top 10), had the most threes made (by double digits), was 2nd in 3pt % (45% and 46 for the season) He had a rough start to the season, and at one point was at something like 12% from 3 about 8 games into the season. That tells you how how he got, and stayed, the rest of the season.

I agree that from what I've seen of him Bohannon is a fine shooter. But I doubt he's better than the Bears Austin Ruder. Ruders shooting percentage wasn't as good but he hit some huge shots for us and a lot of them were under tremendous pressure. Ruder is such a good shooter he was definitely a "marked man" even as a freshman. I remember both Hinson and Marshall yelling at SIU and WSU respectively to NEVER give him an open look. Hinson called it his "where's Waldo" approach.

When MSU would play us (isur) Ruder was the guy I was the most worried about dude can flat out shoot

[uniftw]

I won't make a case for Matt Bohannon to be the best all round SG in the league, because he isn't. He is, however, likely the best pure shooter.

In conference play Matt Bohannon had a true shooting % of 63.8 (Beane was next at 59.3), was 2nd in effective FG percent at 63.1 (none of the others mentioned in top 10), had the most threes made (by double digits), was 2nd in 3pt % (45% and 46 for the season) He had a rough start to the season, and at one point was at something like 12% from 3 about 8 games into the season. That tells you how how he got, and stayed, the rest of the season.

I agree that from what I've seen of him Bohannon is a fine shooter. But I doubt he's better than the Bears Austin Ruder. Ruders shooting percentage wasn't as good but he hit some huge shots for us and a lot of them were under tremendous pressure. Ruder is such a good shooter he was definitely a "marked man" even as a freshman. I remember both Hinson and Marshall yelling at SIU and WSU respectively to NEVER give him an open look. Hinson called it his "where's Waldo" approach.

3-POINT FG PCT Cl GP 3FG 3FGA Pct
1. Buss, Nate-UNI JR 15 27 49 .551
2. Hawley, Aaron-DU SR 18 45 90 .500
3. Daniels, Jordan-DU SO 18 28 60 .467
4. Bohannon, Matt-UNI SO 18 61 133 .459
5. Smithpeters, Tyler-SIU FR 16 21 46 .457
6. Barnes, Auston-BU JR 18 25 59 .424
7. Zeisloft,Nick-ILS SO 18 36 86 .419
8. Ruder,Austin-MSU FR 18 40 96 .417
9. Beane, Anthony-SIU SO 18 33 81 .407
10. Van Vleet, Fred-WSU SO 18 19 47 .404

3-POINT FG MADE Cl GP 3FG Avg/G
1. Bohannon, Matt-UNI SO 18 61 3.4
2. Hawley, Aaron-DU SR 18 45 2.5
3. Balentine, D.J.-UE SO 18 44 2.4
4. Ruder,Austin-MSU FR 18 40 2.2
5. Turk, Devon-LUC SO 18 36 2.0
Zeisloft,Nick-ILS SO 18 36 2.0
7. Early, Cleanthony-WSU SR 18 34 1.9
8. Baker, Ron-WSU SO 18 33 1.8
Beane, Anthony-SIU SO 18 33 1.8
10. Buss, Nate-UNI JR 15 27 1.8


Bohannon made 21 more with a better shooting %

Bohannon started the season real rough starting 15-66 int he OOC but something finally clicked for him and he finished very strong. Had Matt shot the % early in the season as he did after his slump he would have finished with over 100 3s made

Matt also had a better effective and true shooting % than Ruder.

[glm38]

Did you read the part where I conceded Bohannon shot a better % ? And shooting % is obviously a big part of being a great shooter. Probably the most important part. But it's not the only factor. Did Bohannon hit the big shots that Ruder did? Did he see the continual defensive pressure that was put on Ruder? Maybe the answer is yes on both counts. I didn't see your guy enough to know that. I do know Ruder is the most consistent shooter I've seen in a long time.

At this point he's (Ruder) not even close to being the top 2 guard in the Valley. He needs to expand his game for that. But he's got the time, work ethic, and potential to do that IMO.

[BEARZ77]

I think the point could be argued that Bohannon because of the presence of an inside force like Tuttle and another great shooter/scorer like Buss, rarely if ever was the focus of another teams defense and probably saw a lot of uncontested opportunities as a result. Ruder rarely had that luxury as the Bears had no inside threat and once Marshall went down, Gulley was the only real consistent threat another team had to focus on. How that translates to shooting percentages is always a subjective debate, but one none the less that has some merit.

I have no real thoughts on who is the better shooter, to me it comes down to who hits the shots when they mean the most and advance their team as a result. With so many guards in this league centered in the soph/jr classes this debate is just heating up.

[Wufan]

Ruder hasn't been mentioned even in the "others" category. That speaks pretty highly of the top tier.

[uniftw]

Did you read the part where I conceded Bohannon shot a better % ? And shooting % is obviously a big part of being a great shooter. Probably the most important part. But it's not the only factor. Did Bohannon hit the big shots that Ruder did? Did he see the continual defensive pressure that was put on Ruder? Maybe the answer is yes on both counts. I didn't see your guy enough to know that. I do know Ruder is the most consistent shooter I've seen in a long time.

At this point he's (Ruder) not even close to being the top 2 guard in the Valley. He needs to expand his game for that. But he's got the time, work ethic, and potential to do that IMO.

Bohannon got the Ali treament this year...

He touched the ball from 18-22 feet there was at least one set of hands in his face.

Much like Ali during his time here as the season went on the deeper his threes got because that is how he got better looks. The later in the game the shot was taken the more likely it was to go in.

[Aargh]

I will consider any SG other than Baker for this topic when I start reading published reports that they are not entering the NBA draft early.

Baker also plays PG, so he's got the mentality of looking for a pass for a "better" shot even if he has a shot he can take. So, which is more valuable, a guy who gets better stats, or a guy who looks for the best possible shot opportunity of the possession?

There are a lot of SG's in the league who are the "go to" guy on their teams. When they get the ball, they are expected to put it up. Baker doesn't play in that environment, so he's unlikely to be a stat monster.

I believe his W/L record in D1 games where he's suited up is 51-3. His losses are a game in the MVC tourney after missing 21 games prior to the tourney, to NC Louisville, and to NC runner-up Kentucky. How about those stats?

Sporting News ranks Baker as the #2 SG in the country. The guy who's #1? Aaron Harrison from Kentucky, who's the last SG to play against Baker.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-06-17/top-10-shooting-guards-aaron-harrison-ron-baker-wayne-selden-buddy-hield/slide/2

# 3 is Buddy Hield, who came out of Sunrise Christian Academy just outside of W.ichita. The same school that produced Zach Brown and Rauno Nurgen in this year's recruiting class.

Two days before the Tennessee game last year, Baker had a purple ankle about the size of a pineapple. He was expected to miss at least a couple of weeks. He played every game, which didn't give the ankle a chance to heal. He played most of the season on one bum wheel.

With two healthy ankles, the reports from this summer are that Baker is driving to the hoop and finishing with dunks when he gets there. In summer pickup games, he's playing against WSU's D and fouls aren't called. Anybody think their SG can drive on WSU's D and score at the hoop if fouls aren't called?

Baker is going to miss a lot of summer ball because he's been invited to a string of elite camps. Same for VanVleet.

[glm38]

I agree with you Aargh that Baker is our conference's best SG. But I think the NBA caliber card gets played too often. Sure that's a good barometer in some instances of a player's worth. But not always. There are many fine D1 players that for one reason or another just aren't right for the NBA. FVV may be one of them. He's certainly considered one of the best PG'S in the country yet he's not really on the NBA's radar. At least not yet. It's possible he may not ever be due to his size and perceived lack of athleticism.

[Rollbird5]

I will consider any SG other than Baker for this topic when I start reading published reports that they are not entering the NBA draft early.

Baker also plays PG, so he's got the mentality of looking for a pass for a "better" shot even if he has a shot he can take. So, which is more valuable, a guy who gets better stats, or a guy who looks for the best possible shot opportunity of the possession?

There are a lot of SG's in the league who are the "go to" guy on their teams. When they get the ball, they are expected to put it up. Baker doesn't play in that environment, so he's unlikely to be a stat monster.

I believe his W/L record in D1 games where he's suited up is 51-3. His losses are a game in the MVC tourney after missing 21 games prior to the tourney, to NC Louisville, and to NC runner-up Kentucky. How about those stats?

Sporting News ranks Baker as the #2 SG in the country. The guy who's #1? Aaron Harrison from Kentucky, who's the last SG to play against Baker.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-06-17/top-10-shooting-guards-aaron-harrison-ron-baker-wayne-selden-buddy-hield/slide/2

# 3 is Buddy Hield, who came out of Sunrise Christian Academy just outside of W.ichita. The same school that produced Zach Brown and Rauno Nurgen in this year's recruiting class.

Two days before the Tennessee game last year, Baker had a purple ankle about the size of a pineapple. He was expected to miss at least a couple of weeks. He played every game, which didn't give the ankle a chance to heal. He played most of the season on one bum wheel.

With two healthy ankles, the reports from this summer are that Baker is driving to the hoop and finishing with dunks when he gets there. In summer pickup games, he's playing against WSU's D and fouls aren't called. Anybody think their SG can drive on WSU's D and score at the hoop if fouls aren't called?

Baker is going to miss a lot of summer ball because he's been invited to a string of elite camps. Same for VanVleet.

It helps him playing in a weak valley this past year. No offense to Baker or you but no way he is #2 shooting guard in the nation. He's a fine player but at best maybe a 2nd round draft pick. That's just my opinion after seeing him play the last two years and watching alot of college basketball

[Cdizzle]

It helps him playing in a weak valley this past year. No offense to Baker or you but no way he is #2 shooting guard in the nation. He's a fine player but at best maybe a 2nd round draft pick. That's just my opinion after seeing him play the last two years and watching alot of college basketball

Watch more basketball. You may be right, Baker may not be the 2nd best shooting guard in the country. But your argument is horrible.

Below are Baker's career and 2013-14 stats against NCAA tournament teams:

Min FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
30.2 3.8 7.9 0.5 2.1 5.1 0.4 3.6 4.4 0.8 4.8 1.9 0.5 1.1 2.3 1.4 13.4
30.6 5.0 9.3 0.6 2.6 5.7 0.5 4.0 4.9 0.8 5.0 2.1 0.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 16.6

Feel free to find me 2 SGs averaging 16.6 PPG against tournament teams while shooting 60% from the field, 50% from 3, 80% from FT and grabbing 5 RPG, with a positive A/T. Bonus points if you can find underclassmen.