Lingering groin injury slows UNLV prospect

Running an offense with a groin injury isn't easy, so Oscar Bellfield was slow to show off his skills Wednesday.

The 6-foot-2-inch point guard for EBO/2K Sports has attracted recruiting attention from several colleges, including UNLV. He said he has a scholarship offer from the Rebels, as well as Oregon State, San Diego State and Utah.

But he failed to impress himself as EBO defeated the Oakland Rebels 74-66 and lost to Seattle Rotary Select 88-70 in the adidas Super 64 tournament at Rancho High School.

"Everything is my weakness. I can improve on everything," said Bellfield, who will be a senior at Westchester High in Los Angeles. "I can get my teammates involved and be more aggressive at the same time."

Bellfield, held to six points in each game, said he was unable to go full speed because of a strained groin that has bothered him for about a month.

EBO was eliminated in the round of 16 Wednesday night despite a 37-point effort from 6-8 Galena High star Luke Babbitt.

UNLV's Lon Kruger and San Diego State's Steve Fisher were among the coaches in attendance for EBO's victory in the afternoon.

Kruger also has interest in EBO's Jerry Brown, a 6-6 junior shooting guard from Sacred Heart High in San Francisco.

"With the way that Coach Kruger runs his three-guard offense, both of those guys will be a perfect fit," EBO coach Darren Matsubara said. "Oscar is a phenomenal player. That part about being passive, I think that's his injury right now.

"We're probably pushing him a little too hard, but he's a tough kid."

Bellfield said he is capable of playing much better. He showed only a few flashes of his potential by displaying a smooth jumper and strong ballhandling ability.

Brown, who combined for 27 points in the two games, is an intriguing prospect with a long body.

"Jerry's going to get better as he keeps learning. He's got an abundance of talent, and he's still growing," Matsubara said.

Bellfield said UNLV is high on his list and he hopes to make a commitment in August.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "After this tournament, I'm going to start narrowing it down and making my decision soon."

Babbitt was a dominant presence in both games, scoring from the perimeter and using an array of post moves to muscle his way to the basket. He had 30 points in EBO's win.

Babbitt backed out of an oral commitment to Ohio State and will go to UNR. Rivals.com ranks him as the nation's 37th-best senior, but scouts say he deserves a higher ranking.

"He's awesome," Bellfield said of Babbitt. "He has a nice outside jumper, and he can do everything."