Ranking The Guards – 1-5

Photo Attribution: My SA

This concludes our ranking of the top 20 guards in the Sutton/Ford era. Enjoy…

OKC Dave
1. Tony Allen – added the perfect dose of grit that 2004 team needed to reach the Final Four. Best combination of offense and defense we’ve seen at OSU.
2. Desmond Mason – *disclaimer* I think of Desmond as a forward, but if he’s on this list he must be no lower than #2. We all know how good he was as a player, so I’ll just say I always appreciate the dunk contests he and Andre Williams put on during warm-ups.
3. Adrian Peterson – the best 4-year career by any guard in OSU history. Points per 40 minutes by year: 16, 17, 20, 20.
4. Brooks Thompson – the best point guard we’ve had at OSU. Great basketball IQ + loads of talent.
5. James Anderson – similar to #3 on my list, Adrian Peterson. Great all-around game, excellent scorer. Peterson had more scorers to share the ball with.

@CarsonC5
1. Tony Allen – The Alpha Dog in every sense of the word. Every time OSU needed a score in a tight game, they would clear out and give Tony the ball. And he always delivered. Conversely, if OSU needed a stop Tony always found a way to lock down the opposing team’s best player. The clear No. 1 for me.
2. Desmond Mason – The most beloved on the list. He arrived in Stillwater as an athlete learning to play basketball. He left as a complete player who eviscerated Kansas on Big Monday with an array of jump shots (5-5 from 3, school record for 3pt % in a game). Other than Big Country, no player improved as much as Desmond over a 4-year period. Best in-game dunker by a Highway 51-mile. Begged my Dad to take me to GIA an hour before tip for his aforementioned dunk contests.
3. Brooks Thompson – The best point guard to lace ’em up. A floor General but could shoot the lights out, too. Shot 47% from 3-point line his final season (110-233). Efficient.
4. Adrian Peterson – The most underrated Cowboy ever, in any sport.
5. Randy Rutherford – I would have no problem with Randy at No. 1. That’s how good he was. Obviously the 45 points at Kansas sums it up, but he was a terrific defender as well (At KU, he held the loathsome Jerod Haase to 2-9 shooting). He was arguably the best guard in America during that Final Four run.

PistolsGuy
1. Desmond Mason – The Greatest.
2. Tony Allen – ONLY because he took them to a Final Four and, if you doubted it was him rather than Lucas or Joey, all you have to do is look at the Arizona game the following year in his absence.
3. Adrian Peterson – I’m with Carson that he’s the most underrated Cowboy athlete ever.
4. Randy Rutherford – Held Keiton off from the threes record with over 100 fewer attempts.
5. James Anderson – Highest PPG (17.9) of any guard in OSU history and holds the sophomore and junior season scoring records…and would have held the senior one.

In case you missed them: Part 1 (16-20) | Part 2 (11-15) | Part 3 (6-10)