Jackson State guard filling it up

Updated: December 16, 2006, 10:44 PM ET
By Jay Bilas | ESPN.com
• Keep an eye on Jackson State guard Trey Johnson. He's tied for the nation's lead in scoring at 30 points per game (in a tight early race with Rice's Morris Almond, a known commodity), and has hung 36 on Alabama, 33 on Georgia Tech, 27 on Illinois, 32 on Memphis, and 31 on Tulsa. Johnson can put it on the floor, post some, and get his own shot. He takes over 24 shots per game, and gets to the line about 10 times per game. Johnson faces a variety of different defensive looks and gets a ton of attention on opposing scouting reports. Granted, Jackson State was really no match for the big shots it played, losing its first four games by an average of 33 points, but Jackson State did beat Rutgers by one. Johnson may take some bad shots from time to time, but his scoring is by design. His coach, Tevester Anderson, who was an assistant to Mark Gottfried at Murray State and later the Racers' head coach, knows his team has its best chance at winning when Johnson carries the scoring load. The 6-foot-5 guard has drawn the attention of NBA scouts and others, and he will be on their radar screens from here on in. That goes to show you that if you can play, you will be seen. The NBA might miss once in a great while in the evaluation process, but not very often.

• Some other mid-major players that have been filling it up are Rodney Stuckey of Eastern Washington (averaging 25 points on 17 shots per game), and guard Jaycee Carroll of Utah State (averaging 23 points on 63 percent shooting). Stuckey is a solid player that can shoot it, and he's at good driving to the hoop. He needs to work on getting his own shot, but he has a chance to be very good. Carroll is a shooter, pure and simple, and he knows how to play. But he is also a quick and athletic scorer and a nonstop mover. He shoots it quick and deep, and he flies off of screens to get his shot. Don't be surprised to see Carroll take Utah State back to the NCAA Tournament.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Jay Bilas

College Basketball analyst
  • College basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider
  • Played and coached at Duke
  • Practicing attorney

SPONSORED HEADLINES

MORE MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL HEADLINES

MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM