Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia
High School: Milton
Position: Guard (1)
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-2
Weight: 170
High School Awards:
– McDonald’s All American (2011)
– Jordan Brand All American (2011)
– Georgia Mr. Basketball (2011)
– Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year (2011)
– First-Team All State (2010)
– First-Team All District (2010)
– Male Athlete of the Year, NeighborNewspapers.com (2010)
Shannon Scott is a 4 star point guard out of Alpharetta Georgia. He’s been ranked the #6 point guard in the country by Scout.com, and the 34th overall player by ESPNU. As a junior, he lead Milton to a state championship in Georgia while averaging 14 points, 7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. He also participated in the McDonald’s All-American game and picked up an incredible 5 steals in 12 minutes of playing time.
In his first season for the Buckeyes, Scott played in all 35 games and averaged just over 10 minutes in each outing. His role on the team was clearly a ball-distributor, as he would have averaged about 8 assists per 40 minutes on the floor. Compare that to Aaron Craft who picked up 4.6 in 32 minutes last season and it’s pretty apparent that Scott was told to enter the game and feed the ball to his teammates. He certainly performed that job well.
College Stats:
Courtesy of BuckeyesBeat.com.
| Season | GP | MPG | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | APG | RPG | BPG | SPG |
| 2011-12 | 35 | 10.9 | 1.2 | 28.2 | 5.6 | 22.2 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
Strengths:
Shannon Scott is as much a point guard as a basketball player can get. He is the consummate floor general, the kind of player that can direct his team and deliver the ball to where it needs to go. He has superb decision making skills and instincts, and is a true WD-40 guy – the grease that keeps things moving smoothly.
He’s a solid defender, as he proved last year by simply seeing the floor. That has apparently improved to the point that Matta considers him to be the most aggressive defender in college basketball this season. And, yes, he’s aware that Aaron Craft is standing to his left. If anything, this will net Scott even more floor time, either simultaneously with Craft or as his backup.
He’s also got a solid mid-range game, and can hit the pull-up jumper after blitzing down the floor at full speed. His great basketball IQ allows him to really see the floor and he regularly maintains his dribble until he knows where he wants to go with the ball.
Weaknesses:
At times, Scott tends to get moving a little too quickly and will occasionally travel – often due to something the defense is doing. He also has a tendency to leave his feet when passing out of a lane drive, which will lead to charges.
At this point, his shooting is not up to par with Aaron Craft’s. That doesn’t mean that he’s a bad shooter, but that he’s not the best point guard option on the offensive end. That gives Craft a leg up in minutes this season. It also means that Scott needs to put some serious work into his shooting if he wants to be a workhorse for this team after Craft leaves.
Role for the Team:
There’s only one thing Shannon Scott does, and he does it with incredible skill. The Buckeyes are going to have to work to find a way to get him on the court, and they will with his defensive abilities. It should be no surprise that Scott will continue to back-up Craft at the 1 this season, though Scott may see a bit more time on the floor than 10 minutes a game and make life a little easier for Craft down the stretch.
Also look for he and Craft to be on the floor together during tough defensive stretches, where the Buckeyes need to put the hammer down at their basket. We may also see it in moments that Matta wants to go with a higher paced transition game, where aggressive, high-speed defenders are particularly valuable against the break-away.
Mr. Scott will certainly continue to join the Buckeyes on the court this season one way or another. He seems like the kind of player that could make a significant difference for this team.
2012 Basketball Previews:
Sept 27th – Aaron Craft
Oct 3rd – Amedeo Della Valle
Oct 5th – Trey McDonald
Oct 7th – Evan Ravenel
Oct 9th – Alex Rogers
Oct 11th – LaQuinton Ross
Oct 16th – Shannon Scott
Oct 18th – Lenzelle Smith Jr.
Oct 23rd – DeShaun Thomas
Oct 25th – Sam Thompson
Oct 30th – Amir Williams
Nov 1st – Coaches
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