March is here and for me that means one thing primarily. March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It is one of my favorite events in all of sports and always invokes some fond memories. A lot of those memories involve point guards from years gone by. So, in honor of March Madness and some of the fantastic floor generals that flourished at the college level, I present to you, The Top College Point Guards…Of My Lifetime.

10. Khalid El-Amin: UConn (1997-2000)

My soft spot for Khalid El-Amin stems from the fact that both he and I were a little soft in the middle. I’m not sure if my physique was the result of too many Michelobs or too much McDonald’s, but the point guard play of former McDonald’s All-American, El-Amin emboldened me to to shed my shirt and let it all hang out when any shirts vs. skins pick-up game situations arose. Listed at 5’10” and 200 pounds, El-Amin was rocking a dad bod well before it was en vogue and made college hoops look like child’s play. He was the starting point guard for the Huskies 1999 NCAA Championship team, coming up big in the finals against Duke by scoring UConn’s final 4 points in a 77-74 upset victory. El-Amin was a joy to watch on the court and an inspiration to plenty of portly play makers such as myself.

9. Mike Bibby: Arizona (1996-1998)

Mike Bibby was a freshman phenom for Arizona in 1996-97 season. After winning a State Championship for Shadow Mountain High School in Arizona, he continued his winning ways at the next level leading the Wildcats to a NCAA Championship in his first year of college. Bibby stood out to me because of his smooth, well-rounded point guard play and also because he rocked the original Nike Foamposites in the Championship game. I was already somewhat obsessed with the sneakers ever since I’d seen them in the iconic 1-800 magazine ads and when Bibby broke them out for the title game, I was almost as interested in the on court footwear as I was with the on court action. When Arizona hoisted the trophy it only added to the lore of the shoes and of Bibby himself.

8. Jalen Rose: Michigan (1991-1994)

Of course I had to include the point guard for the most legendary college basketball team Of My Lifetime, Michigan’s fabled Fab Five. The team had a starting five of all true freshmen, the first program to ever do so. They took the nation by storm and their influence on pop culture spread far and wide. From the back court, Jalen Rose was at the forefront of the team’s influence and popularity. The Fab Five introduced us to black socks and baggy shorts and during the summer of 1992 you couldn’t find a pickup game where the participants weren’t sporting that attire. I was not immune to the Fab Five hype and had the full Nike Michigan uniform with Rose’s number 5 on the jersey. If you saw me around that time period, there was a high percentage chance that I was wearing bright yellow Michigan basketball shorts. Of course none of this would’ve caught on if the team didn’t perform on the court. They reached the NCAA Finals their freshman season where the lost to one of the great NCAA teams of all-time, the 1991-1992 Duke Blue Devils. Rose led the team in scoring their freshman year and being the most outspoken of the group, he also led them off the court. After their finals appearance hopes were high for the Fab Five heading into their sophomore season. They would make good on those expectations with a return trip to the NCAA Championship game. However, they would once again fall short. This time to North Carolina in a game featuring one of the most historic plays in college hoops history, Chris Weber’s “phantom timeout”. This was their last game together as Weber would enter the NBA draft the following spring. Although their time together was brief, they left a lasting impression on the college basketball landscape, pop culture and on me personally, much like their leader, Jalen Rose.

7. Jimmer Fredette: BYU (2007-2011)

Got a chopper and a trimmer, shooting like Jimmer. If you were mentioned on a Lil Wayne mixtape in the early 2010’s you were probably a big deal. Jimmer Fredette was just that. He put up big point totals for BYU and his shooting range seemed to have no ceiling. To say that Jimmer was a shoot-first point guard would be a severe understatement. Due to his dedication to his craft, he set numerous scoring records for BYU and the Mountain West Conference, assist records, not so much. Freddette put his name on the map in his junior year by putting up several 40-point performances. Projected to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft, it was speculated he would leave school early. However, Jimmer returned to campus for his senior year and seemed to say sorry for the wait as he continued his stellar scoring on the way to being named First Team All-American and as well as winning The Naismith Award, The AP Player of the Year Award and The Wooden Award. *Lighter flick*.

6. Stephen Curry: Davidson (2006-2009)

While we’re talking about players mentioned in rap songs, perhaps no athlete in history has been named in more lyrics than Stephen Curry. But back before he became a multiple NBA MVP, Champion and the best shooter the game has ever seen, he was just Del’s son. Del’s son was playing point guard for small school North Carolina school Davidson and captivating the country with his performance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. His clutch shooting from behind the arc propelled Davidson to the Elite 8 and Steph Curry became a household name. It was hard not to root for the Cinderella team with the sharp-shooting kid that looked like he just stepped off of a local middle school team. A legend was born that March back in 2008, one that hasn’t stopped growing yet.

5. Jason Kidd: Califronia (1992-1994)

A stark contrast to the prior two entrants on the list, Jason Kidd was a pass-first point guard. Kidd possessed a basketball acumen that is rarely seen among college players. He put this on display in the 1993 NCAA tournament as a freshman, by leading the Golden Bears to an upset victory of the two-time defending National Champion Duke in the second round before losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16. Understandably, expectations were high in Berkeley for Kidd’s sophomore season and there was a lot of hype surrounding Cal leading up to the tournament. I was fully on board because of my admiration for Kidd and his play style. I remember picking Cal to win it all that year and my bracket was broken beyond repair when they were upset in the first round by Wisconsin-Green Bay. Regardless of that outcome, Kidd was still one of my favorite point guards to watch. His mixture of old-school approach and new-age athleticism was one of a kind.

4. Kemba Walker: UConn (2008-2011)

Kemba Walker was a standout point guard for the UConn Huskies. He was known for his skilled ball-handling, scoring ability and penchant for hitting big shots. The latter trait earning him the nickname Cardiac Kemba. I was a Kemba fan for all of these reasons and also because he played in various models of retro Jordans on the court. Walker’s most memorable moment in college came during his junior season in the 2011 Big East Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals against Pitt. With time running out and the score tied Kemba put his dazzling dribbling on display before hitting a big step-back jumper at the buzzer to give the Huskies the win. The shot propelled them to the Big East Tournament titles and they carried that momentum into the big dance where they proceeded to win it all as a 3 seed. I chose to ride the hot hand while filling out my bracket and picked UConn to win it all. And unlike the previous entrant on the list, Jason Kidd, Kemba and the Huskies came through for me. I took home a tidy little sum from my bracket pool which I used to buy a pair of retro Jordans.

3. Stephon Marbury: Georgia Tech (1995-1996)

The Kid From Coney Island, Stephon Marbury was one of the highest regarded prep point guards in history. Georgia Tech had a really solid basketball program at the time but it was still somewhat unexpected when Marbury chose Tech over the traditional college basketball powerhouses such as the Dukes, Kentuckys, North Carolinas etc. of the country. I myself was more than a little excited that Starbury chose Atlanta and that excitement was warranted. Marbury was an electric, all-around point guard who could do it all. He was fast, he had handles, he could pass, score and defend. His presence alone propelled the Yellow Jackets to a marquee, must-see, dangerous team. Alas, the excitement was short-lived as Marbury was one and done at Tech before declaring for the NBA Draft, or he likely would’ve been at the number 1 spot on my list.

2. Bobby Hurley: Duke (1989-1993)

In the late 80’s and early 90’s when Duke was ascending to a national powerhouse and college basketball royalty, behind Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s guidance, Bobby Hurley was leading the way. Hurley seemed to be an extension of Coach K on the court. He was a leader, controlled the game and got the most out of himself and his teammates. It seemed like Hurley and the Blue Devils were always in big games back then, because they were. Three Final 4 appearances and back-to-back National Championships in 91 and 92. While teammate Christian Laetner got most of the spotlight and accolades, it was Hurley that made Duke tick and it’s safe to say that without him, the legacies of Duke, Coach K and the landscape college basketball as a whole would not be the same as they are today .

1. Kenny Anderson: Georgia Tech (1989-1991)

Mark Price was the first great Georgia Tech point guard Of My Lifetime, but it was Kenny Anderson who really started the string of stand-out players at the position. A list that includes Travis Best, the aforementioned Stephon Marbury, Jarrett Jack, Will Bynum, and Javaris Crittenton, all who went on to play in the NBA. Kenny Anderson led the way and in 1990 he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their first Final Four appearance Of My Lifetime. Anderson along with teammates Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver, the trio nicknamed “Lethal Weapon 3”, carried Tech to the ACC title and they entered the NCAA tournament as a 4th seed. I was glued to the television for every Tech game of that tournament. They squared off against a Shaq led LSU team in the second round and pulled out a 94-91 victory to advance to the Sweet 16. Awaiting them was the number 1 seeded Michigan State Spartans, who the Jackets managed to upset in overtime 81-80. One game remained between Tech and a Final Four birth. Once again they were victorious in a close contest, winning 93-91 against Minnesota. Georgia Tech was headed to the national semifinals and I was beside myself. It felt like Tech had finally arrived as a hoops powerhouse and it was the stellar point guard play of Anderson that pushed them over the hump. They ran into a buzz saw in eventual champion UNLV, but it couldn’t dampen my excitement much. Nor could it lessen my admiration for Kenny Anderson, The Top College Point Guard…Of My Lifetime.