# UCLA point guards



## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Is there a program in the country with a better string of point guards than UCLA over the past nearly two decades?

Darren Collison - will be 1st rounder
Jordan Farmar - NBA 1st rounder
Earl Watson - NBA 2nd rounder
Baron Davis - NBA 1st rounder
Cameron Dollar - no pro experience, straight into coaching
Tyus Edney - NBA 2nd rounder
Darrick Martin - NBA career (undrafted)

Seven primary starting point guards, six of whom played or will surely play in the NBA, five of whom were or will surely be drafted, three of whom were or will be first rounders.

Was there another starter in that period I'm forgetting (aside from the off games due to injuries, etc.)? Was anyone between Pooh Richardson and Darrick Martin? If not, that's another NBA first-rounder.

This just strikes me as unbelievable. There can't be another school with a similar run of guys at any single position.


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## bball2223 (Jul 21, 2006)

The best of the bunch probably hasn't hit campus yet. Jrue Holiday has a chance to be better than any of those you mentioned.


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## DaBruins (Jul 30, 2003)

I'm pretty sure every Bruin team in the last like 40 years has had a PG go to the NBA.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

bball2223 said:


> The best of the bunch probably hasn't hit campus yet. Jrue Holiday has a chance to be better than any of those you mentioned.


I'm not sure about best of the bunch--it's always easy to get excited before a guy plays--but he sure does look good now. Still, the hype around Baron Davis was ridiculous, and had he never gotten hurt I wonder how much better he could've been. He's very athletic now, but he was ridiculous before his various knee and back injuries.


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## bball2223 (Jul 21, 2006)

luther said:


> I'm not sure about best of the bunch--it's always easy to get excited before a guy plays--but he sure does look good now. Still, the hype around Baron Davis was ridiculous, and had he never gotten hurt I wonder how much better he could've been. He's very athletic now, but he was ridiculous before his various knee and back injuries.


I think Holiday is going to be what Baron Davis would have been without the injuries.


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## Scuall (Jul 25, 2002)

luther said:


> Is there a program in the country with a better string of point guards than UCLA over the past nearly two decades?
> 
> Darren Collison - will be 1st rounder
> Jordan Farmar - NBA 1st rounder
> ...


You forgot Pooh Richardson, arguably the best of the bunch, college career considered. Also should mention Cedric Bozeman, while overrated as a high school PG, is playing in the NBA. Mitchell Butler (post-Pooh) played quite a few years in the NBA as well.

One guy to keep a note of is Russell Westbrook who has been outstanding this year in place of the injured Collison. Time will tell if PG will be his position, but he's a defensive monster who plays a little (OK, maybe more than a little sometimes) out of control at times. With the great PG recruiting class coming in, he'll prolly switch over to the two.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Re-read: I didn't forget Pooh, but because I was trying to go consecutive and wasn't sure if anyone went between Pooh and Martin, I put Pooh in the penultimate paragraph, not in the list. 

Butler didn't play point.

I did forget Bozeman. (I'm not sure if he was so much over-hyped [at least any more than every other McDonald's All American] as unlucky with injuries.)


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## Scuall (Jul 25, 2002)

luther said:


> Re-read: I didn't forget Pooh, but because I was trying to go consecutive and wasn't sure if anyone went between Pooh and Martin, I put Pooh in the penultimate paragraph, not in the list.
> 
> Butler didn't play point.
> 
> I did forget Bozeman. (I'm not sure if he was so much over-hyped [at least any more than every other McDonald's All American] as unlucky with injuries.)


Oops missed Pooh there. I can't remember if there was a PG between Richardson and Martin either, I don't believe there was. As for Butler playing the PG, he did play it intermittently, but I don't believe he was ever the full-time starting PG. I believe he did play the position at times in the NBA which is why I listed him. 

As far as other schools with great PG play, Arizona immediately springs to mind. Kerr/Lofton, Stoudamire, Bibby, etc.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Re AZ, no doubt. A friend of mine just pointed them out, too, on another board. Lofton, Kerr, D. Stoudamire, Reeves, Bibby, Arenas, Gardner, S. Stoudamire, Shakur, Bayless. Not all full-time PGs in college, not all successful pro PGs, but a lot of really good players who played PG at some point.


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## Vermillion (Mar 23, 2004)

Texas? Ford/Gibson/Agustin...at least the transition has been decent.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

Vermillion said:


> Texas? Ford/Gibson/Agustin...at least the transition has been decent.


I believe Royal Ivey started at PG before Ford arrived. Who preceded him? That would be back to when Chris Mihm and Luke Axtell were there ... who was that PG?


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## qross1fan (Dec 28, 2004)

Jrue Holiday will be on that list soon, along with Westbrook.

Alongside Holiday, UCLA has another nice PG coming in by the name of Jerime Anderson


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## Jonathan Watters (Jul 20, 2002)

Jrue Holiday is amazing. But he is no Baron Davis athletically. It really isn't close. I don't think anybody is Baron Davis athletically, to tell you the truth. The things he did last postseason, nearly 10 years and several major injuries into his career, should go down in history as one of the top handful of athletic displays the game has ever seen. 

Anywho...

As far as UCLA PG's...didn't Gerald Madkins go to UCLA?


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## Scuall (Jul 25, 2002)

Jonathan Watters said:


> Jrue Holiday is amazing. But he is no Baron Davis athletically. It really isn't close. I don't think anybody is Baron Davis athletically, to tell you the truth. The things he did last postseason, nearly 10 years and several major injuries into his career, should go down in history as one of the top handful of athletic displays the game has ever seen.
> 
> Anywho...
> 
> As far as UCLA PG's...didn't Gerald Madkins go to UCLA?


Nice call, Madkins (who played for several NBA teams) was the one we were forgetting.

BTW, have you seen Westbrook play this year?


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## Jonathan Watters (Jul 20, 2002)

Yes, I sure have. I was extremely unimpressed with his approach to the game early in the season, but he's steadily improved to the point where I think he's as important as any player on that team. He makes a ton of huge plays with his physicality and is a solid shooter. At the same time, he's still a bit slow-handed as a ballhandler and really thrives when he's playing off the ball. Perhaps an Antonio Daniels type.


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