Bellfield’s intention: getting point across
As a new kid in school, Oscar Bellfield was content to stay quiet and follow the leaders on the UNLV basketball team.
Those days are a blur in Bellfield’s memory now.
“As a freshman, I was looking for people to really be that leader and somebody to look up to,” he said. “Now that I’m a junior, I’m actually that person. The time went by real fast, but that’s life.”
Bellfield, a 6-foot-2-inch point guard, will run the show for the Rebels this season, and he’ll do it with the wisdom of a veteran.
He has started a team-high 55 career games, four more than senior guard Tre’Von Willis, and Bellfield has played in all 66 games at UNLV.
At this stage of his development, Bellfield should be pointed toward a breakthrough.
“Oscar has logged a lot of minutes his first two years and really continues to make progress,” coach Lon Kruger said. “I think he’ll have a great junior year. We expect him to play at an even higher level.”
Kruger’s most successful teams were directed by senior point guards — Kevin Kruger in 2006-07 and Curtis Terry in 2007-08. Bellfield is not a senior but has the experience of one.
And Lon Kruger has the luxury of two point guards capable of running this team, the other being 6-6 senior Derrick Jasper.
“Between Oscar and Derrick, we should have great leadership at the point guard spot,” Kruger said.
When Bellfield and Jasper are on the floor together, Jasper usually shifts to a wing spot. They share a position and a couple of other traits.
“Neither Oscar nor Derrick are naturally real talkative. We’re always talking to them about talking more,” Kruger said. “That’s what point guards need to do in terms of giving direction and leadership.”
Once an underclassman in the background, Bellfield said he realizes the importance of being a more vocal veteran.
“I’m just really not a talkative person at times,” he said. “But with two years under my belt, I feel real confident.”
Bellfield and Jasper are each returning from knee injuries, too. Jasper started 21 games as a junior before a sprained left medial collateral ligament on Jan. 26 ended his season.
Bellfield said he has fully recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April. He hurt the knee in a victory over Brigham Young on Feb. 6 and continued to play through the pain and swelling, which limited his jumping, lateral movement and quickness.
“I really couldn’t do much,” Bellfield said. “I had a choice if I wanted to play or not. I felt the team needed me.”
Bellfield finished as the Rebels’ No. 3 scorer at 9.3 points per game, behind Willis (17.2) and forward Chace Stanback (10.7). Even while hurting, Bellfield put together a late 12-game stretch with 60 assists and 16 turnovers.
“I thought he really showed a high degree of toughness just to finish it out without a lot of complaining,” Kruger said. “Oscar was frustrated he couldn’t do more, but I think he just adjusted and kept going, and that was pretty gritty of him to do that.”
Now, five days into practice and with the first exhibition game two weeks away, Bellfield is ready to pick up the pace.
“The coaches believe in me and my teammates believe in me,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of athletic people. We’re looking to really run.”
■ NOTES — Willis, who had right knee surgery in August, had fluid drained from his knee Sunday and has not practiced. Kruger called the injury “very minor” and said Willis could return Thursday. … Kruger and athletic director Jim Livengood will be among those on hand at 2 p.m. today for the groundbreaking ceremony for UNLV’s state-of-the-art practice facility, the Mendenhall Center, on the south side of Cox Pavilion.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.
