2014 Frontier Basketball Preview: Guards

In the Frontier Conference, shooting, speed, getting to the rim, and being able to lock down a team’s best player in man-to-man defense has always been at a premium. In other words, having great guards is essential to a team’s success.

And entering a new Frontier season, guard play will certainly be something fans will enjoy watching on the men’s side. The Frontier is loaded with high-scoring, quality guards, including the returning Frontier Player of the Year in University of Great Falls senior Marcel Towns.

Fans will enjoy watching the guards at Montana State University-Northern play this season, too. Northern certainly has two of the league’s best in seniors Alfie Miller and Roshawn West.

Both guards return from a standout 2012-13 season, and both look even better. Miller has blossomed in a starting role and is currently averaging 16 points per game, while he’s made 42 3-pointers and shoots better than 47 percent from beyond the arc. West is a do-everything kind of guard, who averages close to 10 points per outing. He’s a returning All-Conference performer who’s strength is getting to the basket, but he can also shoot the deep ball as well.

Here’s a look at the top guards from around the rest of the Frontier Conference

When talking about the top guards in the Frontier, it all starts with Towns (6-2). Now a senior, Towns has started for UGF for four seasons and has led the Argos in scoring the last two. Towns not only earned Frontier Player of the Year honors a year ago, but he also was named an NAIA All-American. And this season, he has gotten even better. He averages 20 points per game and shoots high percentages from both the field and the 3-point-line. He’s also considered one of the best defenders in the Frontier, making him a truly complete player.

Towns has company though as it pertains to dynamic guards in the Frontier. E.J. Farris, a 6-2 junior transfer from Utah State has exploded onto the Frontier seen for the Lewis-Clark State Warriors. Farris plays big at 6-2, and can score from all over the floor, as evidenced by the fact he leads the league in scoring at 22 points per game and already has two 40-point games this season.

Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain College is producing a stellar backcourt tandem this season. The duo of Malachi Roberts (6-4) and junior transfer Tyree Anderson (6-3) have helped vault the Battlin’ Bears to one of the top teams in all of NAIA basketball. Roberts is having an excellent junior season, averaging 14 points per game, but the addition of Anderson has made the Bears even more lethal. The transfer is scoring 17 points per game and shooting better than 44 percent from three. The duo is the perfect compliment to the Bears’ front line.

Westminster College is known for having great guards year-in-and-year out, and there’s no doubt senior Blake Skidmore (6-0) is one of them. A three-year starter, Skidmore is a talented player who can run the point, but can also be a scoring threat. He’s averaging 15 points per game, and he also grabs four rebounds for the Griffins.

Meanwhile, back up the road in Helena, Carroll College is on the rebound this season, and a big reason why is 6-0 senior Chris McGrath. A three-year starter and returning All-Conference performer, McGrath is Carroll’s unquestioned leader. He’s also been an offensive juggernaut in 2013. Averaging 15 points per game, McGrath also shoots at a 47 percent clip from the 3-point-line, and he’s a hard-nosed defensive player as well.

In Dillon, the UM-Western Bulldogs are certainly glad to have senior Maazin Butler (5-11). A hard-to-stop scorer, Butler puts in 14 points per game, but he’s part of a truly deep rotation. Veterans Gabe Rucker (6-2) and Kris Castro (6-4), along with sharp-shooter Kris Collins (6-3) give the Bulldogs one of the deepest backcourts in the NAIA.