Can these two combine to give the Hoos steady production from the shooting guard position?
WIN: Sammy Zeglinski, junior
His latest injury is a major setback, and at this point in his career you have to label him fragile. But he showed some serious flashes of brilliance last season, especially when he was playing off the ball and was free to spot up as a wing shooter. Zeglinski was hand-picked by Dave Leitao to succeed Sean Singletary at the point guard position, but Sammy struggles to defend the speed and quickness he encounters at the 1, and his offensive skill set is more in line with the shooting guard position. Assuming he makes a full recovery prior to the new year, I have to think he'll start a majority of our games at the 2. His good-and-getting-better shooting form is a big plus to his game, and he's one of the few guards on the team who can boast a lot of on-court experience. I don't think we've seen the best Zeglinski can offer, and my gut tells me there's a clutch shooter in there, itching for the chance to get out. I hope this is his year.
PLACE: Mustapha Farrakhan, senior
We already covered Mu in the trifecta box for the point guards, but I'd like to mention what he brings to the table as an off-guard. For one, he's a plus defender. Secondly, it's always nice to have two ballhandlers in the backcourt --- I could see Billy Baron and Mu forming an effective duo, especially. Third, more than any other guard on the team, he has an established and tested willingness and ability to get to the basket. I'm not saying that Farrakhan is the type of player who can break his man down and create offense for himself on a reliable basis, but he is capable of doing that occasionally and against lesser competition. I think I like his game more than most UVA basketball fans, but I can't shake it; there's just something I really like about Mu. He has a bit of fearlessness to him, and I think that's vitally important for a wing scorer. The team really needs him to provide a little swagger and confidence as a senior, and I think he can do that.
SHOW: K.T. Harrell, freshman
Harrell is going to start (and play well) for this team during the 2010-11 season, mark my words. It's just that I think he'll end up starting at small forward, not shooting guard. That said, if another freshman like Akil Mitchell or Joe Harris surges to the forefront at the 3, Coach Bennett could be forced to slide Harrell over to the 2 in order to put the best team on the floor. I don't think there's really much difference between the two wing positions in this system, anyway... but my money is currently on one of the two upperclassmen taking ownership of the starter's minutes at shooting guard, which would keep Harrell at small forward.
ALSO RAN:
- Joe Harris, freshman -- From what I've heard, he's a spot up shooter who also has a better-than-expected floor game. It's not hard to imagine him finding a defined role at shooting guard, especially as an "instant offense" type of option off the bench.
- Billy Baron, freshman -- I think he's a combo guard, and I could see him and Jontel Evans on the floor at the same time together from time to time.
- Thomas Rogers, freshman -- This recruited walk-on from Fork Union is cut in the Joe Harris / Will Sherrill mold. He's basically a tall guy who can shoot it. He's limited athletically and he might only see action in mop up duty, but UVA has a fairly rich history of seeing walk-on guards take on bigger roles than anyone expected.
ANTE POST: With the Zeglinski injury, Farrakhan needed at point guard, and the uncertainty surrounding what you'll be able to get from your freshmen and where they will fit best on the floor, I'd say the shooting guard position is the most up in the air as we head into the season. There are some good players in the mix here... but you would prefer to have someone step up and put a stranglehold on this position. Unless K.T. Harrell does that, I suspect we'll be seeing a bit of a revolving door at the 2 this year. Is it a strength of the team? If Zeglinski gets healthy and either Harris or Mitchell step up at the 3 and allow Harrell to play more at the 2, I'd say yes. But those are two pretty big "IF"s.
Position Grade: C/C+
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