Becoming known as a pro-prospect: Stanback and Bellfield compete at Portsmouth Invitational

Yet another diversion from analysing the roster, but the opportunity to report on an event that involves two recent Rebels and hasn’t been reported hardly anywhere else is worth talking about.

The Portsmouth Invitational is a tournament which has existed for 60 years, and invites graduating seniors to play in a round-robin style tournament which spans 4 days and fields 8 teams of players. Invited to the tournament this year from our 2011-12 Rebels is Chase Stanback and Oscar Bellfield.

Chace, who was among  the leaders in the NCAA in 3 point percentage, was also invited to the 3-point contest at the NCAA final, and played in the all-star game as well. Oscar has been a fixture in the Rebels lineup over the past four years, and has regularly logged more minutes on the court than any other Rebel. The Portsmouth Invitational, as well as assumedly tryouts for NBA D-League teams (should the draft not quite work out) will be a major stepping stone for both Stanback and Bellfield .

Now, let’s get to what actually occurred at the tournament. Chace Stanabck was put on a team named Cherry, Bekaert & Holland – an accounting firm who likes to put their name on things, obviously. Oscar Bellfield was placed on a team named Portsmouth Partnership, named after a non-profit dedicated to promoting economic growth, leadership and education within the city of Portsmouth. What’s in a name – nothing.

Chace Stanback


The initial game for Chace came against a team named K&D Rounds Landscaping. Chace took the bull by the horns and capitalized well from the field. He shot poorly from three, but still made 50% of his shots. Not sure how closely the refees were calling this one (likely not much because it was an exhibition for scouts), but Chace didn’t get to the foul like to attempt any baskets – meaning his stat line had no padding.

Here's what Ryan Maddox of NBADraft.net had to say about Stanback's performance:

"6’8” Chace Stanbeck (UNLV) stood out immediately. His final numbers won’t wow you (11 points, 2 boards, 1 block), but I’d be shocked if this kid doesn’t at least have a cup of coffee in the league sooner than later. Going 5-10 from the field, he simply would not be sped up and played a consistent, effective pace all night. Hit a catch and shoot three on a kickout in the early going. Drove hard to a kill spot from the FT line extended off two dribbles and rose up over his defender and buried a jumper. Not a lot of wasted motion/energy with this guy. Could be more vocal/demonstrative – especially in a setting like this. Went 1-5 from deep tonight but mechanics/shot selection both check out. Shot over 45% from distance during the season. Want to see him matchup with Kevin Murphy tomorrow. Has the size to guard 2s/3s at the next level – could be a huge mismatch for opposing 2s with his length/range."

Here are his stats for game one:

Game two:

In the second game, which his team lost by two points to Portsmouth Sports Club (not Oscar's team) Chace shot pretty well from the field, and all of his stats were respectable. He had the same amount of points as in the first game, but took two additional attempts. Given that Chace's team lost, they then went to the consolation game for third place. Low and behold, they were to compete against Oscar Bellfield's team. Here's the stat line:

Oscar Bellfield

Oscar started the tournament off with a rocky overall performance. Fortunately for his team, they won the game despite it. Oscar was in a funk shooting-wise, and only hit one shot all game despite seven attempts. Disappointingly, his assist to turnover ratio was 1. These were very un-oscarlike numbers, maybe he was just a little too used to runnin Coach Rice's offense to play the generic ball dished out by the 'Portsmouth Partnership'. On to game two, here is the statline:

Game two

Having basically mulliganed the first outing, expectations were 'no where to go but up' right? Well, sort of. Oscar again only made one basket in the outing, but at least he didn't have any turnovers. So, three assists to 0 turnovers makes for a good average. Bellfield's team would not get another shot to make it to the tournament game because they were blown out by 'Roger Browns' by 20 points. BUT, this set up an intriguing matuchp Oscar Bellfield's team would face Chace Stanback! Intriguing! Here is the statline:

Trading Places - Oscar plays against Chace

In the name of making a name for yourself in front of Mitch Kupchak (L.A. Lakers), Daryl Morey (Houston Rockets) and Rick Sund (Atlanta Hawks) to name a few, a match up between two UNLV players occurred, and although it wasn't Shawn Marion vs. Joel Anthony in the NBA finals, it is still a noteworthy occurrence. 

Leading up to the game, we had Chace Stanback playing good basketball, and Oscar not-so-much. Would anything change? Would Oscar tell his players how to throw Chace off his game, or vice versa? Clearly, because they play different positions they wouldn't go head to head. The take away from this game was that things changed for both Chace and Oscar, a dramatic change for both. 

Looking at the statline, Chace - who had been having fantastic performances totally fell off. He jacked up way to many shots, and connected on about a quarter of those  tries. In contrast, Oscar was measured, and shot the ball much better than he did in the first two games. Bellfield couldn't shake the turnover bug, and again had 3 giveaways - but so did Chace. The better team on this particular day ended up being Oscar's, which resulted in an overall third place finish for his team. Here's the box score:

Conclusion

Chace had 2 of 3 good games, and performed as a reliable scorer in those games. He wasn't dominant, but for a GM who is looking at the Portsmouth Invitational to potentially pick up players in the draft or free agency - dominance is really going to be overstated at this level anyhow. The last impact player to come out of the Portsmouth Invitational was Jeremy Lin - but the reason that he is a phenomena is partly because of the challenges of being branded 'lesser' from the gate - Oscar and Chace will face similar difficulties moving forward. Chace likely maintained his value in this tournament and may inspire a GM to take a chance on a hard to guard player who can shoot the three, all be it in a streaky manner. Oscar had one lackluster performance after another, and likely didn't make much of a mark on the radar. Over the years, Oscar has single handedly won games for the Rebels, and done some pretty amazing things. Hopefully the scouts may take a chance on him in the D-league,and he gets the chance to run the point for a new team sometime soon. Although you cannot find a very good recap of the Portsmouth invitational, hardly any photos, or video of it -  it sill mattered, and it featured two of our favored sons. So, to Chace and Oscar - best of luck to you moving forward. 

Is the NBA noticing Mike Moser? Q&A

Question: Why isn't Mike Moser in the conversation nationally yet when it comes to the NBA draft?

Answer - Jason Taylor

Peace through strength.  Tread lightly, but carry a big stick.  Gentle Giant.

Mike Moser has nudged the national college basketball seismograph a few times this season with 18-20 rebound efforts, and a 36-point outing in Santa Barbara. 

The North Carolina win provided a solid Richter scale reading with a Moser effort that rumbled out 16 points and 18 rebounds that greatly assisted a solid win over the #1 ranked team in the nation at the time.  He scored under the basket, over the basket, and dropped a few in from behind the arc. 

There was a reported 40-50 scouts in the stands that day, thanks much in part to the wealth of talent that UNC is showcasing this year.  It was a good day for Moser to show his stuff.

Moser will be mentioned during pre-game radio and television shows as he serves a ton of quality minutes to which opposing coaches must give great reverence.  

He is deserving of this attention.

However, he seems to be falling just under the NBA Talk radar.  National sports pundits spend their time on the Sullingers, Hensons, and Rivers of the world. 

This gives way to one of the possible reasons why we aren’t hearing about NBA possibilities for Moser.  All the air has been sucked out of the room by the media’s over-infatuation with ACC, SEC, and Big East basketball. 

But, then there’s the real reason, I believe… UNLV coaches of late really don’t concern themselves with the media biases.  They give respect to every team, and talk no smack.  They understand that it’s all about getting better every game, practicing, and getting the next win.  This is how the Rebels have quietly entered the NCAA Tournament 4 of the past 5 years… they’ve concentrated on what really matters.

UNLV presents peace through strength.  It treads lightly, but carries a big stick.  It’s becoming a gentle giant.  It’s now quietly ranked #12 in the Nation.

Mike Moser is a perfect fit at UNLV.  His motor never stops.  He practices hard.  He runs sprints with fervor.  He studies the game.  He positions well.  He looks for teammates.  He appreciates the team, the style, and the strategy.

Moser’s style, much like UNLV’s, places function over form.  If he decided that he was going to get his 20+ points per night, and get his face on ESPN’s highlight reel with regularity, and boost his stats, he could turn the dial and accomplish all of these things right now.  People would pay more attention.  We’d find “NBA” in the same sentence as “Mike Moser” much more often… it would provide the bling that lures the attention of the east coast oriented national media.  They were all watching the UNC game, and he was suddenly honored with National Player of the Week (not that he didn’t deserve it, of course). 

He is bigger than the hoopla, though, and when Mike Moser decides to enter the draft, he’ll be one of the most sought-after prospects on the scene.  It’s easy to see that this UNLV hero is nowhere near his ceiling. 

Whether or not everybody in the country knows his name will matter little.  Those who know basketball know about Mike. 

He has peace through confidence.  He talks little, and plays a lot.  He is quietly becoming a Giant.

Answer - Jay Raman

Mike Moser has proven to be a rebounding rock, and offensive dynamo this season for the Rebels. Coach Rice had said Moser would be an impact player, they were just surprised how quickly that materialized. With the accomplishments up to this point, the question is why has Mike Moser not gotten more NBA mention.

My opinion, is there are several reasons. First, UNLV has been a team that has sporadically been in the top 25 rankings over the last few seasons. This is clearly changing with the Runnin’ Rebels, as well as other teams in the MWC (SDSU, New Mexico) being nationally respected. Ranked teams get the headlines, and replays on national sports networks (ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports). The people who are create mock drafts, such as NBADraft.net, are looking with a limited eye. So, its really a matter of the rest of the United States becoming accustomed to UNLV being a great team now, not just twenty years ago. When that happens, a lot more people will watch UNLV basketball and say, damn that Moser kid can really play, he's the next (insert NBA player's name here).  Hopefully, actual NBA scouts are taking notice of Mike Moser and what he can bring to a team.

Second, the Rebels are a very deep team. Several players can produce 20 points in a given night, and several players can become a conference player of the week. This is an excellent set of circumstances as a team, but for Moser to stand out individually as a ‘dominant force’ who is clearly ready for the next level, short of this being Kentucky, Ohio State, or UNC people who look casually look at the Rebels from a national perspective don’t necessarily see Mike Moser being the scoring leader for the Rebels, or having to pile on 17+ppg and put the Rebels on his back to win games. It’s a simplistic view, but people need to look at the Rebels more like a UNC type of team – stacked with talent at multiple positions. Any given night the hot hand could belong to any one of the following guys, Stanback, Moser, Marshall, or Hawkins, and everyone else could pour in 15 points (Massamba, Thomas, Lopez, Bellfield, Smith, or Wallace if his 3 is hitting and gets minutes).

Sub question: When will he get the respect he's due, and will he be drafted next year?

Answer - Jason Taylor

Respect for Mike will grow steadily.  Whether or not he “tops” the national conversation will be determined only when his performances are consistently overwhelming, especially against top teams in the east.  

There is a good chance this may not happen.  He’ll help his team win and he’ll get progressively better.  He’ll have plenty more days where he’ll get attention, but that doesn’t seem to be his goal, which is good for him and the team.

My belief is that he’s on pace to go into the draft at the end of next year.  Could he enter this year?  Yes.  However, as long as his decisions remain consistent with his past and current trajectory, he’ll finish this year as MWC Newcomer of the Year, and maybe even MWC Player of the Year, and then come back to more often “overwhelm” next year. 

This path will create the greatest opportunities for him, I believe.   Beyond… A senior year would just be a gift from Moser to UNLV.  I don’t think anybody will expect him to play Santa.  Most fans will just be happy to see him here next year.

Answer - Jay Raman

What Makes Mike Moser an attractive NBA candidate is his NBA body, rebounding prowess, athleticism, and scoring ability. At 6’8” he’s the right size as a forward for the NBA, and all indications he has absorbed the game of basketball  from the plastic man, Stacey Augmon. While Mike Moser would improve with another year of study under Augmon and Coach Rice, his draft decision will likely be dictated by how he believes he will be drafted. My opinion is if he is a projected second-rounder, then he’ll come back for his junior season, but if the first round with nice guaranteed money – he’ll declare and make the national scene eat their words.

If Mike Moser stays, takes full advantage of some pickup ball with the NBA regulars that frequent Las Vegas in the summers, improves his shot a little, and puts on more muscle to help keep him a double double guy when he gets to the NBA, then we're talking lottery pick.