Actually, your Bobby Bowlegs would qualify as a gunner -- just not a very good one. See, in our mind's eye, the perfect gunner can spot up and sink the jumper in the corner or at the top of the key, create off the dribble for himself and maybe some for his teammates, and then turn around and stick the opponent's best offensive guard on the other end.

2. Robert O'Kelley, Wake Forest
The leading returning scorer in the ACC this season (17.5 ppg), O'Kelley is the ultimate gunner. He's deadly from outside, off the dribble and at the line. He's not very big, which hurts on defense, and he can be a little sloppy with his ball-handling and shot selection. But if you're down by 12 with five minutes to go, O'Kelley is one of those guys you can feel good about giving the ball to and letting him go to work.

3. Johnny Hemsley, Miami (Fla.)
He was the Big East's best supporting actor last season. Now that Tim James is in the NBA, Hemsley lands the leading role. Like O'Kelley, Hemsley (17.5 ppg) is a gunner through and through. But O'Kelley has already proven he can carry a team -- in the ACC no less. Hemsley has to show he can keep the Hurricanes whirling through the Big East on his own before he can move up this list.

4. Lamont Long, New Mexico
The only thing that could hold long back is injuries. He missed three games due to back spasms and a strained calf last year, and he wasn't quite right in several others. But he has all the scoring ability of -- and is a better rebounder and distributor than -- any of the trio ahead of him. If he stays healthy and can cope with the loss of Kenny Thomas inside, Long moves up to No. 1.

5. Mike Miller, Florida
Miller didn't put up the same kind of numbers last season (12.2 ppg) as the four in front of him on this list. He's got two good excuses, though: (1) he was a freshman, and (2) Florida is loaded. Miller will get only so many scoring opportunities while surrounded by so much talent, but he is a marquee gunner. And at 6-8, he's a far better rebounder and interior scorer than anyone else in this group.

Newcomers to watch: Keith Bogans, Kentucky; Schea Cotton, Alabama; Joe Forte, North Carolina; Dermarr Johnson, Cincinnati; Jason Richardson, Michigan State; Derrick Zimmerman, Mississippi State.