Point Guard: Is the Problem Solved?

This is my second installment of the 2009-2010 Men's Basketball Preview. I am going to focus on IU's biggest problem last year, the play of the point guard. The Indiana Hoosiers were woeful on offense last year. I think a lot of the struggles were due to a ridiculous number of turnovers. IU ranked 342 out of 344 in turnover percentage. They turned the ball over on 26.4% of their possessions. Think about for a second. IU did not get a shot up on over 1/4 of their possessions last season. I think that goes a long way when trying to explain why they only won six games. I am not going to blame this all on the point guard play. Indiana tried Daniel Moore, Brett Finkelmeier, Malik Story, Devan Dumes and eventually settled on Verdell Jones. Jones is a scoring guard, he is not a point guard. None of the guys that played the point last season for IU has any business being the primary ball handler on a Big Ten team. This season should be different because of the arrival of two newcomers. Their success, or failure, will play a large role in Tom Crean's second year.

Starters
I think Jeremiah Rivers is the clear starter at point guard. Coaches and players have both said he was the best player during last season's practices. He played for two seasons at Georgetown before transferring to IU and the Hoyas went to the Final Four during his time there. I love the fact that he is a coach's son (Doc Rivers) and Tom Crean has been raving about the improvement in his offensive game. Rivers is going to provide better decision making and much better defense at the point guard spot. The biggest question is whether or not his reported offensive improvement comes to fruition during the season. If he can consistently knock down a jumper, Rivers might contend for best newcomer in the conference. He is listed at 6'5" and 210 pounds so his size should be asset while on defense.

Other Options
Jeremiah Rivers won't be playing all 40 minutes. Thankfully, Indiana's reigning Mr.Basketball decided to stay in Bloomington. Jordan Hulls, a 5'11" freshmen will be the primary backup for Rivers and I think he will see some quality minutes. Hulls is a winner. He led Bloomington South to an undefeated state title and his AAU teams won several tournaments under his leadership. I think his size might be a little bit of a problem against some bigger guards but he is fairly quick and strong. Hulls doesn't have the most mechanically sound shot but it goes in. His best assets appear to be his passing and mid-range jumper. Crean will probably have both of these guys on the floor at the same time when IU is trying to hold a lead late or playing teams that love to press.

There are a couple of other options at point guard. Verdell Jones is capable of playing of helping out if there is an injury or foul trouble. Jones will see most of his time at shooting guard but he has some experience running the point. He is clearly better suited as a scoring guard that doesn't have to focus on running the offense but he is probably option number three. Devan Dumes falls into the same boat. Daniel Moore and Brett Finkelmeier won't see near as much playing time as they did last year but they are capable of providing an energy boost. I don't expect any actual production out of them but they do provide effort. I like to make fun of them but they are living a dream and it's cool to see them get some minutes. But this year, those minutes better not be in a competitive game.

Point guard was a glaring weakness last season. There were a lot of close games that could have been won by a different result on one or two key possessions. I think Rivers and Hulls will both have a large impact on this team and their play throughout the season will be critical to the Hoosiers success.