As a so-called “small guard” I hear it all; how we can’t dominate, we can’t match up against taller guards, we have to be 3x better at everything, blah blah blah! Thankfully, there are some college coaches who actually get it, and have found big time success putting the ball into the capable hands of traditional point guards. So, I want to give some love to my fellow sub-6′ guards who made a major impact on the NCAA D1 tournament this 2022-23 March Madness season.
Darrion Trammell, San Diego State (5’10”) – Championship Runner-Up: I didn’t know much about Darrion before the NCAA tournament this year, but after watching him lead his team to the championship round, I became a big fan! While he’s not the most flashy guy on this list, Darrion was poised and showed up big throughout the NCAA tournament. In SDSU’s championship loss to UCONN, Trammell gave a great effort and put up 13pts, 3stl, 3reb.
Nijel Pack, Miami FL (5’11”) – Final Four: Nijel was a problem all season long and led his team to the ACC title, so I wasn’t surprised when he had big games leading up to Miami’s Final Four run in the NCAA tournament. As a smaller guard at the highest level of college basketball where “big guards” are the ideal players for many coaches, Nijel is a perfect example of how size does not determine how effective a player can be, when given the chance.
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (5’8″) – Elite 8: Hands down the best PG in Division 1 MBB this year, Markquis “Mr. New York City” Nowell set an NCAA tournament record 19 assists (plus 20pts, 5stl, 3reb) in a win over Michigan State to advance his team to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, his tournament run was ended by Florida Atlantic in the Elite 8, but not before Markquis would drop 30pts, 12ast, 5stl, 3reb. He just declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, and I’m inspired. His favorite slogan, “Heart Over Height”, is one that I live by everyday.
Ryan Nembhard, Creighton (5’11”) – Elite 8: Nembhard is one player whose game matches mine the closest. He’s a PG who played the tournament to win by valuing defense and assists (3.5apg) and A/TO ratio (1.75) over just trying to lead his team in scoring. Other than his 30-point game in Creighton’s win over Baylor, Nembhard’s tournament scoring numbers don’t tell the whole story of his impact in the Blue Jays success this season. Ryan is a true floor general who represents traditional point guards very well. I can’t wait to see him play next season.
Tyger Campbell, UCLA (5’10”) – Sweet 16: Tyger is another player whose game is very similar to mine because he values assists and defense over just scoring. Campbell averaged 8.7 assist per game, 1.7 steals, and only 1 turnover on UCLA’s Sweet 16 run. Tyger did, however, help his team score the ball by averaging 11ppg. He’s a real floor general who proved small guards can bring high value if they play the right way.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Dynamic Duo at FDU – Round of 32: Demetre Roberts (5’8″) and Grant Singleton (5’9″) shocked the entire basketball community this season by leading Fairleigh Dickinson in an upset win over Purdue to advance to the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. These two senior PGs are D2 transfers who followed their Head Coach Tobin Anderson to the D1 level from St. Thomas Aquinas. Even though they lost to by 8 points to Florida Atlantic, I had to show them some small guard love because they both showed out when the lights were on.
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee (5’8″) – Sweet 16: I had to mention this guy because, without Zeigler I don’t believe Tennessee would have made it to the NCAA Tournament this season. Definitely one of my favorite PGs in D1 basketball, I hated that Zakai didn’t get to play. Out due to knee surgery, most analysts were saying that UT was not as good of a team without Zeigler pushing point. I hope he is able to bounce back to his normal self next season.
