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twitterUNLV BASKETBALL:
Rebels survive scare to start season
UNLV tops Washburn 74-56, learns weaknesses before regular season begins Saturday
Justin M. Bowen
UNLV fans cheer at the tipoff of Tuesday night’s game.
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 | 2 a.m.
A Legendary Reunion
Before UNLV's Basketball present took to the floor Tuesday night, alums from Rebels' Hoops past hit the hardwood at the Thomas & Mack in the Legends Game.
Working Out the Jitters
Wink Adams scored 27 points to lead UNLV to a 74-56 exhibition victory over Washburn.
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- Opponent: San Diego
- Where: Thomas & Mack Center
- When: 2:30 p.m.
- TV: The Mtn.
UNLV freshman guard Oscar Bellfield was a bit surprised Tuesday afternoon when Rebels coach Lon Kruger announced he would start at the point Tuesday night.
Then a Thomas & Mack Center crowd of 10,516 was more than a bit surprised, with a dash of discomfort tossed in, when Division-II Washburn gave UNLV a battle.
For Kruger, Bellfield and the rest of the Rebels, a 74-56 victory over the Ichabods was much closer than the final score indicated.
“It’s all behind,” said Bellfield, finally creaking a smile and showing a flash of his braces in a courtside seat in the empty arena. “It’s over.”
The Rebels open their season Saturday afternoon against San Diego at the Mack. Bellfield might be new to college hoops, but he knows the competition is about to increase.
“It’ll be much tougher than this game,” he said. “We have to go out there, make few mistakes, play hard, play together and get a victory.”
During a summer tour of Australia, Tre’Von Willis, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound sophomore transfer from Memphis, ran the point and led the Rebels to four victories in six games.
During practice, the 6-2, 175-pound Bellfield said he wouldn’t back down, that he’d give Willis a run, that them pushing each other would make the team stronger.
Bellfield appeared to play more conservatively at the point than Willis over the past month.
Tuesday afternoon, in a team meeting, Kruger told all that Bellfield would start at point guard.
Tuesday night, UNLV had a 32-30 edge on Washburn when Bellfield ran the show. That included a 7-2 game-ending spurt.
The Rebels had a 42-26 advantage with Willis at the helm.
“It was good to experience that pace and aggression,” Bellfield said. “They come at you. It was a good opportunity. Better to get it out of the way for Saturday.”
Bellfield had five points, two assists and four turnovers during his time running the team, which Kruger split evenly with Willis.
“They were freshman mistakes, turnovers and stuff,” Bellfield said. “You just have to learn from it, adjust to it, forget about it and get ready for Saturday.”
Willis scored nine points, dished out four assists and turned it over five times.
UNLV trailed, 11-9, when Kruger put Willis in for Bellfield. The Rebels responded with a 10-1 run. Willis was effective in finding senior forward Mo Rutledge down low for easy baskets.
Washburn outscored the Rebels 10-8 the rest of the first half and trailed UNLV, 27-22, at halftime.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” Willis said. “We were pretty stagnant, standing around. I wanted to get some flow, some easy baskets, get some momentum, get things going our way and run from there.”
Kruger said he looked forward to Willis providing energy off the bench, and that’s what happened.
“It’s one of those things, I suppose,” Willis said. “I support Oscar. I want him to do the best job he can do. I want to bring another dimension when I come off the bench.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m a team player. Egos aside, we have a goal; trying to play hard and get ‘Ws’ on the board.”
With Willis running the action in the second half, Washburn eked back into it.
Reserve forward William McNeill, a freshman who led the Ichabods with 15 points, sank a 3-pointer and was fouled by Willis. He buried the ensuing free throw to get Washburn within 53-48.
Paul Byers hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key on Brice Massamba to cut it to 53-51.
“Their coach was yelling at them,” McNeill said. “Everything was discombobulated for them. They learned that even though we’re Division II, they shouldn’t have an opinion on us.
“They learned a lot. Oh yeah, we really shook ‘em. They were kind of scared.”
UNLV shooting guard Wink Adams then traveled, and Byers missed a short jumper that would have tied it.
Adams, who led everyone with 27 points, drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Rebels some space.
McNeill was asked about both of UNLV’s point guards.
“Personally, they were kind of shaky,” he said. “Whenever we ball-pressured them really well, they hurried to get the ball out of their hands. For Division I, they’re OK.”
Neither Bellfield nor Willis said starting at the point is such a big deal. What’s more important, they said, is showing confidence in each other and every teammate.
When pressed, Willis pondered for a few seconds.
“Well,” he said, “the No. 1 thing that matters is the ‘W.’”
Discussion: 17 comments so far…
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Next Game
Nov. 14, 3:00 p.m. (PST)
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Hello NIT.
My Take:
Willis over Bellfield
Rene: Offensively sluggish (like practice)
Joe: Streaky but tough
Wink: Himself (not counting the 'T')
Santee: Good finishing, O-boards, somewhat soft D
Beas: Monster D, not enough minutes
Wallace: Step too slow on D (still)
Mo: Tough under the hoop but could be tougher
Brice: Good energy, kind of confused on D
Rob, your thoughts?
rebfan4evr = rebfanfairweather
seriously though, do you even remember last year's game against Montana St? get a grip. the sky is not falling.
Wow Gray... pretty comprehensive! Check out our video of the action. Alex A captured the moment of Wink's T. Real bang-bang. It was warranted. Still, a frustrating night was getting to Wink, and in a flash he just dropped the ball on his opponent. Washburn got under their skin a little bit. I think it'll be a fine season for Mo. Best thing about him is he's so professional. He didn't think they were nervous and he didn't think there's any "issue" at the point. Generally, it was an exhibition. Take it for what it's worth. And that was probably the very best-case scenario for Kruger. Remember, too, that Washburn's previous exh's vs Kansas and K-State were similar to this one -- 25ish point defeats.
Ahh, but to answer your question. Especially the first one. Yes, Willis over Bellfield. Willis takes risks, but it was obvious who ran the team better. Massamba's nitty-gritty stuff was pretty good, too. Especially those picks, huh? Man, I would not want to get blind-sided by that lad. Santee is perfect for this squad, allowing Beas and Brice to come along as they "grow."
Saturday will reveal plenty.
i dont feel the sky is falling either...but the good guys didnt look very good, and i thought this team would have gelled more by now. they had their Australia trip to work out some of the kinks. it is only the first game, maybe they were hung over from partying with the dream team.
I think Brice will start by the end of the season. God I hope so at least. He moves so much better out on the floor for being 6'10" and don't forget he is still hurt. Once he is healthy he will be a beast for us. Beas Hamga was a shock to most that were at the game. Guess what, he needs a lot of work and he isn't going to the NBA anytime soon.
It was a good game, better to have a game like this than a blowout. Remember Washburn is a high caliber D-II team and they have already played Kansas & Kansas State this season showing similar efforts as they did against UNLV. They put up 79 against Kansas....and who has UNLV played yet this season, a closed and controlled scrimmage against ASU and their zone isn't a game. It's their first game against a worthy opponent who they underestimated, a game to shake the cobwebs and jitters off. They held their composure down the stretch and did what was needed, win. That's all you can ask for. Their not there yet people, have patience.
As far as the Willis /Bellfield non-issue, I suspect with this being an exhibition game Kruger wanted to get Bellfield out their early, get some jitters out and build some confidence. I played PG in high school we had a two headed monster situation (2 capable PG's who were interchangeable). When I started I had less jitters and felt more comfortable as apposed to sitting on the bench in suspense waiting until the fist mistake to get my number called to go in. I trust what Kruger is doing with the young Bellfield.
How can you possibly be a Rebel fan forever (supposedly) and constantly comment on the negative. Always the devil's advocate. You're no true Rebel fan.
runrebs, while they stumbled a bit in Australia, that was a different squad. Santee and Brice weren't there. Oscar wasn't there. And that was four months ago. I don't know about being hung over partying with the Dream Team, I think it was a wake-up call against a very good lower-level squad. And, guess what? UNLV won by 20. They know exactly what to work on.
ryphi, Brice is talented. Pretty nimble, eh? And how about those picks! Like smacking into a huge brick wall. But Beas and the NBA? I have NEVER heard HIM utter those three letters. EVER. That's coming from the peanut gallery. That guy is listening to Kruger's every word, and Kruger says the only expectations that matter are his and Beas's. The rest is trivial.
SMB, the point guard deal is not a "non-issue." The team had a 42-26 edge over Washburn with Willis leading it, 32-30 with Bellfield. More risk with Willis, yes, but clearly more reward. Willis playing 30 minutes and Bellfield 10? That would be more like it. Bring Oscar along slowly to back up Jasper next season. However, UNLV isn't paying me $5.2 million over 5 years to make such decisions. It will be an eventful season.
Rob, what I meant by "non-issue" is essentially what you explained. Their is no "issue" or should I say controversy at the PG spot as it currently stands. I assumed even before this "who starts against Washburn experiment" that the job would be Willis's to lose over the freshman. With Willis you get some risk, but you get more reward with his aggressiveness, size, and experience. I agree, Willis gets about 30min and Bellfield gets around 10, but I'm not getting paid that huge cheddar neither so what do I know.
My analogy of my basketball experience was just an example of what Kruger may have been trying to do with the kid. Getting the freshman out there in an exhibition game against some D-II talent to dust himself off. Sometimes you feel a little more comfortable in the game when you start, apposed to coming off the bench
I think starting Bellfield was coach sending a message to Willis. Cut down your error rate or start on the bench.
Solid points SMB. Agreed. You might be right, Lenny. What actually is said in the locker room is, and should be, kept tight. We'll have to see how it plays out.
I tried to get some information from Coach Hill on why Bellfield got the start, but not surprisingly, he was tight-lipped. All I got was, "they're about even right now."
So, I guess we will see how this plays out. I'm certainly a proponent for a 30/10 split in favor of Willis but for now it appears Oscar isn't going anywhere.
Yep, Gray. There are enough games over the next few weeks to determine plenty. Stay tuned
We will be great this season Im sure. The Washburn game was not a typical night for us by any stretch of the imagination. Shooting 9% from three point range up to half time is a fluke Im sure. We had some good looks but nothing was falling. The last 6 minutes of the game seemed more like the team we were used to, Darger hitting a 3, Wink hitting two in a row.
Im impressed by Massamba the most at center. Nice touch at the free throw line, and some devastating monster picks, sending people to the ground.
Kruger is an excellent coach and has earned the right to make coaching calls without hecklers from the peanut gallery (aka rebfan4ever, who is secretly Lee Cummards wife Im convinced, what a whiner). Im sure the point guard spot will be split between Bellfield and Willis, who are both capable of handling it. Just give it a week to get the game day jitters calmed down.
If only UNLV could hire someone who is a proven winner to be head coach of its basketball program.
Then we wouldn't have to 2nd guess his decisions.
JMO
pm, that is so off base and uncalled for. Looks like you're writing for one purpose, which doesn't include intelligence.