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Gerrity the focus for UNLV in quest for Diamond Head Classic title
Southern Cal point guard a driving force behind recent turnaround
Ryan Greene/Las Vegas Sun
UNLV coach Lon Kruger looks on during Thursday’s practice on the campus of the University of Hawaii. The Rebels take on Southern Cal on Friday in the championship game of the inaugural Diamond Head Classic.
Friday, Dec. 25, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.
Game Preview: UNLV vs USC
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del.icio.usUNLV players and coaches preview the Diamond Head Classic championship game against USC coming up on Friday.
Greene's Keys
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Las Vegas Sun reporter Ryan Greene gives his three keys to UNLV beating USC in the Diamond Head Classic championship game.
UNLV vs Hawaii
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It was another strong start for the Rebels in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic. UNLV led 44-21 at the half, on its way to a 77-53 victory. UNLV will now face Southern Cal on Friday for the tournament title.
SMU vs UNLV
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Behind the bench play of Anthony Marshall and Tre'Von Willis, UNLV beat SMU, 67-53, in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic on Tuesday night in Honolulu.
UNLV vs.USC
UNLV Rebels (12-1) vs USC Trojans (7-4)
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
When: 6:30 p.m. PST
Coaches: Lon Kruger is 124-54 in his six seasons at UNLV and 442-287 in 24 overall seasons; Kevin O'Neill is 7-4 in his first season at USC and 178-184 in 13 overall seasons.
Series: USC leads 4-3
Last time: UNLV won, 92-83, in overtime in Los Angeles on Dec. 3, 2003
Line: UNLV by 3
TV/Radio: ESPN2/ESPN Radio 1100-AM
THE REBELS
G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 180) 10.7 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.8 rpg
G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215) 8.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.2 apg
G Kendall Wallace (6-4, 190) 6.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210) 8.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Matt Shaw (6-8, 240) 7.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Bench: G Tre'Von Willis (6-4, 195) 15.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.1 apg; F Darris Santee (6-8, 225) 6.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg; G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190) 4.5 ppg; F Brice Massamba (6-10, 240) 4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg; G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200) 5.8 ppg; G Steve Jones (6-1, 220) 2.2 ppg.
What to watch: UNLV's depth could play a huge role here, as the Rebels' deep bench might have them a bit fresher than the thinner Trojans. Also, Oscar Bellfield will need to stay out of foul trouble and in the face of USC point guard Mike Gerrity, who is the spark behind the team's recent turnaround.
THE TROJANS
G Mike Gerrity (6-1, 180) 15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.0 rpg
G Dwight Lewis (6-5, 215) 12.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg
F Marcus Johnson (6-6, 210) 8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
F Alex Stepheson (6-9, 235) 11.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg
F Nikola Vucevic (6-10, 220) 13.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg
Bench: F Leonard Washington (6-7, 230) 10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg; G Marcus Simmons (6-6, 200) 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg; G Donte Smith (5-11, 180) 6.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg.
What to watch: The Trojans need to utilize their size against the guard-heavy Rebels. Between Stepheson, Vucevic and Washington, USC is more than capable of disrupting UNLV's drive-and-dish attack.
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- Marshall steps up again, helps UNLV dance past SMU, 67-53
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- 2009-10 UNLV Schedule/Results
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HONOLULU — Southern Cal senior point guard Mike Gerrity is generously listed in the team's media guide as standing 6-foot-1, and even more generously listed at 180 pounds.
No matter the actual numbers, though, the little guy has made a huge difference for the Trojans in less than a week since he became eligible following his transfer from UNC-Charlotte.
The Mater Dei High product is the driving force behind a five-game win streak for USC (7-4), which looks to make it back-to-back upsets at the Diamond Head Classic, facing UNLV (12-1) for the inaugural tournament title at 6:30 PST Friday.
"He's added a really natural point guard that really makes them go, gets the ball delivered, can go score himself, just gives them a lot of dimensions that maybe they didn't have before," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said following Thursday's practice session in a steamy gym on the University of Hawaii campus. "We've got to do a good job of trying to slow Gerrity a little bit and contain him, but not let the other guys go crazy."
In three games this season, the diminutive, spiky-haired senior is averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and four rebounds per game for the Trojans.
In his USC debut Saturday, his 12-point, 10-assist performance helped spark a 22-point home upset of Tennessee. That was followed by a 17-point performance in a come-from-behind 55-51 victory over Western Michigan in the team's Diamond Head Classic opener Tuesday.
Wednesday was equally impressive, as he scored 17 points again on 7-of-10 shooting, helping USC knock off favored Saint Mary's, 60-49.
In two games in Honolulu, Gerrity is 14-of-21 from the floor.
What UNLV has done best so far in two blowout victories in paradise is take both SMU and Hawaii out of its respective game plans right from go with tenacity on the defensive end.
Even though UNLV switches regularly on defense, against Gerrity, sophomore guard Oscar Bellfield knows he will shoulder plenty of responsibility.
"He's real important," said Bellfield, who recalled going against Gerrity as a high school freshman. "We've got to stay really structured and not gamble too much. He's a smart player, so I'm just going to try to contain him and focus in to try to take him out."
Added Kruger: "We've got to pick and choose our spots a little bit. He's so good with the ball. We don't want to get too extended to where he's able to pick us apart. He's a hard guy to press."
Gerrity, however, isn't the only recent addition to add a jolt under first-year coach Kevin O'Neill.
The Trojans had hoped to have 6-foot-7, 230-pound sophomore forward Leonard Washington cleared to play in time for Tuesday's game against Western Michigan.
However, it took a little longer than expected for his fall semester grades to come through, and he made his 2009-10 debut a day later. Against Saint Mary's, the hulking Lake Charles, La., native tallied 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
His addition simply adds size to a front line that was already formidable. He's a nice complement off of the bench to junior North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson (6-9, 235) and sophomore Nikola Vucevic (6-10, 240). The duo comes in averaging a combined 19.3 rebounds per game. Plus, 6-foot-6 senior Marcus Johnson has incredible leaping ability and can be a terror on the glass.
As a team, USC averages 37.5 rebounds per game and plays a slowed-down, slugfest-style brand of ball.
During the current five-game win streak, opponents are only scoring 48.8 points per contest.
Though the in-your-face, aggressive style O'Neill's club plays could actually work into UNLV's favor, with each team playing its third game in four days on Friday.
One thing USC lacks is depth.
Against Western Michigan, the Trojan starters played an average of 33.4 minutes. On Wednesday, in the victory over Saint Mary's, that group averaged 32.2 minutes, despite the addition of Washington to the rotation.
Meanwhile, each of the 11 UNLV players to take the floor against Hawaii played at least 10 minutes, and the most time logged by any Rebel in a single game in Honolulu was the 29 minutes played by junior guard Derrick Jasper on Wednesday.
In a 67-53 victory over SMU, UNLV's starters averaged 19 minutes, while that same group averaged 23.2 in Wednesday's 77-53 pasting of host Hawaii.
"In theory you'd think so — I hope that's the case," Kruger said of depth potentially helping his club. "Our guys have played shorter minutes, we've played more people. In theory, we're a little fresher because of that, but the day off between games allows them to recover pretty much. It's not as if it was three games in three days."
The Rebels' Thursday practice involved almost no contact and instead consisted of shooting drills, polishing up on offensive sets and installing some game-plan items.
Still, UNLV looked sharp before taking the rest of the day for personal time, including getting in some sleep and a bit of casual beach time.
"We still have some legs left," Bellfield said. "It's a championship game, so we have to have some legs. Having the bench that we have is great for (the starters), great for everybody."
Thursday's subdued nature, in essence, was symbolic of UNLV's entire trip to Honolulu for the holidays.
Instead of messing around or acting as if it was a true vacation, the Rebels have shown poise, focus and discipline.
Sophomore forward Chace Stanback said that comes from the team having circled this week on its schedule well before the season even began, knowing that success in Honolulu could hold significant meaning.
"We've been wanting to come out here and do this before the season even started, just looking forward to it," he said. "It'll be a part of history for us. It's the first Diamond Head Classic, we want to be a part of history."
Kruger encouraged by Willis's progress
Junior guard Tre'Von Willis only played 12 minutes against Hawaii — a season-low — but it had nothing to do with his tender left ankle. He turned it last Thursday in a 72-63 victory at home over Weber State.
There was simply no need to overwork the Rebels' leading scorer, as the outcome against Hawaii was hardly in doubt after the opening minutes.
Instead, Kruger said he was impressed to see Willis looking more like himself. The junior said Tuesday after the SMU victory that he felt slowed down and his leaping ability was not what it normally is.
"I thought he had his hop back last night," Kruger said. "It showed when he went in, knocked down a couple of shots and had some bounce to his step. I thought more so than the previous games, he was closer to 100 percent last night and that was good to see."
President Obama on hand?
After the Senate passed a health care reform bill Thursday in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama and his family took off to spend the holidays in Hawaii.
There are rumors swirling around town that Obama — a known hoops fanatic — might be on-hand at the Stan Sheriff Center for the UNLV-USC showdown in the Diamond Head Classic title tilt.
However, nothing has been confirmed and it appears to be nothing more than rumor.
Discussion: 3 comments so far…
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the line is like UNLV -3 and then the total is pretty low...If I was parlaying today I'd definately put in atleast the UNLV game.
I meant to put in: ..I'd definately put in atleast the spread and pick UNLV.
Obama wants to say "thanks again for being so awesome" to Justin Hawkins :-)