[Cracked Sidewalks] The case for Dominic James as the best defensive guard in the country

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

The case for Dominic James as the best defensive guard in the country

Written by: jpudner@concentricgrasstops.com (bamamarquettefan1)

I’m very encouraged by Butler, Acker and Cube stepping up against Louisville, so this isn’t a “what if” column, just a final reflection on the incredible defensive year Dominic had this season.

I went to the West Virginia-Marquette game on January 10 and happened to sit next to Jerry Hopfensperger, a key player on Marquette’s 1955 team, the first to make it to the Elite 8.  I don’t normally quote things that people tell me in conversation, but one comment he made caught me off guard.  â€œDominic James is playing the best defense I have ever seen a guard play at Marquette.”

“Wow,” I thought, this guy has seen George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Butch Lee, Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and a host of other defensive greats.  I knew Dominic had just held Cincinnati’s leading scorer, point guard Deonta Vaughn, to ZERO points, but the best defense of any guard in MU history?  And then Dominic did it again in front of our eyes.  He held point guard Darryl Bryant to ZERO points in a performance so dominant, I actually started to feel sorry watching Bryant go to the bench to face Bob Huggins after every new turnover.

While Jerel McNeal has racked up steals as the best “off-ball” defender, Dominic was being matched up against the biggest offensive threat each game.  As a stat geek, I started to track the stats opposing guards were registering against James, whose ability to cover the floor and pick guards clean without fouling them was amazing.  Except for the one game at Villanova when noone on MU played defense, James stats as a defender have been incredible.

The easiest defensive stat to track for a guard is steals.  Of the players who have to go up against the tough schedules of the “BCS” conferences, only South Carolina’s Devan Downey and Seton Hall’s Paul Gause had more steals than Dominic James prior to Sunday’s games.

Most Steals
1. Devan Downey, South Carolina 27 games, 84 steals, 3.1 steals per game
2. Paul Gause, Seton Hall 28 73 2.6
3. Dominic James, Marquette 28 62 2.2
4. Jerel McNeal, Marquette 28 61 2.2
5. Nick Calathes, Florida 28 60 2.1
6. Ty Lawson, North Carolina 28 58 2.1
7. Byron Eaton, Oklahoma State 28 58 2.1
8. Chris Kramer, Purdue 27 57 2.1
9. Toney Douglas, Florida State 29 57 2.0
10. Terrence Williams, Louisville 27 57 2.1

However, James did much more than just pick opposing guards clean, he simply eliminated them as an offensive threat throughout Big East play.  His absence was most painfully evident after he broke his foot and UConn’s AJ Price, a future NBA player, scored 36 points in James’ absence. Here are the game-by-game stats in all Big East games except for the Nova team debacle:

Opposing GuardDateFGMFGAFG%FTAPtsRebTOStlFouls[/tr]

Reynolds, Nova	1/1	6	15	40%	0	15	1	4	2	5
Vaughn, Cincy	1/4	0	8	0%	0	0	4	2	1	3
Farmer, Rutgers	1-7	3	5	60%	0	6	3	2	0	5
Bryant, WVU	1-10	0	4	0%	0	0	1	4	1	3
Curry, Providence	1-17	2	7	29%	7	11	2	4	0	3
Kelly, DePaul	1-24	0	2	0%	0	0	0	2	0	4
McAlarney, ND	1-26	3	12	25%	2	9	3	2	0	1
Wright, Gtown	1-31	7	10	70%	4	19	2	3	1	4
Kelly, DePaul	2-3	2	9	22%	0	5	4	2	1	2
Howard, S.Flo	2-6	3	12	25%	4	10	5	2	1	2
Booth, SJU	2-14	2	5	40%	2	6	2	8	2	3
Gause, SH	2-17	5	8	63%	0	12	7	3	6	3
Wright, Gtown	2-21	4	11	36%	7	17	2	TO	1	1
13-game average		2.8	8.3	34%	2.0	8.5	2.8	3.0	1.2	3.0

In these 13 games, James allowed less than three made field goals per game on 34% shooting.  I suspect even a few of those baskets were during James short rests. These guards averaged only 8.5 points per game against MU.

In these games, the opposing guards have also averaged getting only two free throws ATTEMPTED per game.  This stat is very important, because these are excellent free throw shooters, who have actually hit 90% of their free throws against Marquette this year (23 of 26), so if James weren’t so good at avoiding putting them on the line, this could have resulted in a lot of points.

James obviously frustrated these guards, as they averaged exactly three turnovers and three fouls per game, more than a full turnover and foul more than they did in their other games.  In these same games, James averaged about half as many turnovers and fouls (1.5 turnovers and 1.7 fouls) as he forced from his counterparts.

I just have trouble believing that any guard has a better defensive resume than this.  Remember, these stats aren’t padded by early easy opponents.  James has held BIG EAST guards to 34% shooting while making them commit twice as many turnovers and fouls as he has committed while guarding them.  Add that to his status as the third best steals guy in a major conference, and I’m not sure any guard in the US has topped his defensive performance this year.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/03/case-for-dominic-james-as-best.html

[Pardner]

And, since DJ has been out, Price had a career high of 36 and McGee had a season high today of 16.  Is this article supposed to make us feel better?