Colin Porter comes into his freshman season slightly on the younger side as someone who chose to reclassify after his initial commitment and join the Flames a year earlier than expected.
In his Junior high school season he led his team with 6.9 assists and was second in scoring with 17.1 points. He also tallied 2.5 steals per game and only 1.7 turnovers as the teams’ lead ball handler, displaying an efficiency in his creation and overall quality of decision making.
Porter is a classic point guard, smaller in stature but finds success in using skill and speed to open up opportunities for himself and others. He uses his quickness with the ball to blow by defenders and force help. He then can easily find an open man after splitting a defense and create easy buckets for his teammates. He makes difficult passes look effortless and he puts some zip on them that jumps off the screen. If forced to hold the ball, Porter has no hesitancy going up with the ball for some nice layup and floaters that avoid the arms of interior defenders.
His perimeter shot making seems like it could develop into a promising tool in order to space the floor. In a sequence against Lima Senior in June 2021, Porter receives a high screen at the top of the key, takes one dribble and drains a deep three early in the shot clock. That kind of confidence in shooting off the dribble is an exciting element of Porter’s play, especially with his ability to create shots for others as well. He has great vision, finding cutters in rhythm hitting outside shooters right in the bread basket for good looks.
It will be interesting to see how Porter is integrated into the lineup over the course of his college career. Liberty went without a conventional point guard in many of their lineups and more-so leaned on Darius McGhee and Kyle Rode for playmaking duties. Drake Dobbs and DJ Moore didn’t manage to get consistent minutes last season so it will be interesting to see if this trend continues into next season.
Porter has shown a ton of effort in being a pest on defense, evidenced by his 2.5 steals per game in high school. Harassing the other teams players by pick pocketing them is definitely different in the higher levels of college ball, but Porter has this skill in his bag and he should be able to use it to his advantage as he becomes more seasoned college player. He has quick feet and good anticipation to stay with his man. What he lacks in physicality he makes up for in speed, quickness and intelligence. His IQ and ball handling are definitely tangible skills to build on and become an important part of Liberty’s rotation.
Porter is an interesting young prospect that, if adapted well to the offensive sets and schemes of Liberty, could turn into a real floor general for this squad. He has the mentality and fearless playing style that any coach would love to have to develop. His skills as a ball handling guard are undeniable. If he can break into this rotation and show off his chops as a playmaker, he could be very important for the future.
