Standing out — WVU point guard Javon Small (7) is averaging 19 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range. — Benjamin Powell
MORGANTOWN — If you’re lucky enough to spend four days in the Bahamas, there’s usually more than just a tan.
You need some stories too.
WVU point guard Javon Small returns from Battle 4 Atlantis with a surprising story: He just might be the best college point guard in the country.
No, seriously.
“I thought he was incredibly good at controlling the game on both ends of the floor.” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “He’s just a winner. He can recognize when other guys are going for it. He’s a very willing passer. He’s always thinking about the right thing.”
We need to summarize here what we mean when we say best college point guard.
We’re not talking about NBA projections, as Small’s name isn’t in the mock drafts we want to focus on.
Things may change in the coming months, but what NBA general managers say when it comes to drafting point guards is to get them young and keep a close eye on foreign-born players.
Case in point, the six most popular point guards in mock drafts right now are all under the age of 19. Small Turn turns 22 in 16 days.
Four of these point guard candidates were not born in the United States, including Nolan Traore, who currently plays professionally in France.
As for America’s top point guards, Boogie Frand (Arkansas) and Dylan Harper (Rutgers) are both true freshmen.
So what we’re really talking about here is a pound-for-pound type of deal, minus the NBA potential.
Among college point guards limited to college games, who would you like to be in charge of the offense?
In this type of environment, Small’s name is higher up the list than most people realize.
The proof was found right in the Bahamas, where Small faced off against some pretty good guys.
Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard may be the most skilled passer in the NCAA. He averaged 13 assists per game in the Bulldogs’ three games in the Bahamas.
Small outscored him with 31 points and seven rebounds in the overtime upset of the Mountaineers.
Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn led the Cardinals to an OT win over WVU with 32 points and six steals.
Small’s game got even better, with 26 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Arizona’s Caleb Love may be the most accomplished college point guard, having spent three years at North Carolina and the last two with the Wildcats.
He has 2,226 points, 530 rebounds, and 481 assists in his career.
Love was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season, scoring 24 points in an overtime loss to WVU.
He took a season-high 20 shots to get those 24 points. Small had 14 points and eight assists.
“So if 2pm and 8pm are bad nights, we’re going to do that every night.” DeVries said.
Who wouldn’t?
There are many other interesting comparisons.
Alabama’s Mark Sears was selected as an All-American at point guard in the preseason. So far, he is averaging 16 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds.
Small is averaging 19 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds and is also shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range, which is 12.5 points higher than Sears is shooting from beyond the arc.
If you just want to look at stats, Harper might be a tough hitter at the moment. He’s scoring 23.8 points per game on top of his already solid NBA projections.
BYU’s Russian-born Egor Demin is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and 44.1 percent from three. He is also 6 feet 9 inches.
He’s projected to be an NBA lottery pick, but I’d bet anything Small will outperform him when the Cougars travel to Morgantown on February 11th.
It’s just a hunch.
The overall takeaway here is that NBA mock drafts aside, Small ranks among the elite of the elite among point guards.
When was the last time you could say that about WVU’s point guard?
Jevon Carter was part of that discussion six years ago. Before we do that, we might have to go back about 40 years with Greg Jones.
“He’s a great player.” DeVries said. “Javon is one of the players you want on your team anytime, anywhere. He’s a high-level player. He’s going to play at the next level. He’s focused on winning. He’s right. I’m telling you, he’ll make any team better.”
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