Junior college forward Bellot-Green picks UNLV over Colorado State

By Taylor Bern

Published Monday, May 11, 2015 | 1:02 p.m.

Updated Monday, May 11, 2015 | 1:55 p.m.

Last Wednesday, UNLV coach Dave Rice emphasized building a roster deep with versatile players who can play multiple positions. Today, the Rebels added another one.

Junior college forward Tyrell Bellot-Green announced his commitment to UNLV on Twitter, picking the Rebels over Mountain West foe Colorado State after a weekend visit to Las Vegas. Bellot-Green, a 6-foot-7 forward, had also visited Iona.

“UNLV was the best fit for me, the place I feel like I’d be most comfortable,” Bellot-Green said. “It’s a school that has a little freedom in their system.”

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Bellot-Green played two seasons in Hillsboro, Texas, at Hill College, which competes in the top division of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Hill reached the national tournament semifinals and won third place to end the 2014-15 season.

As a sophomore, Bellot-Green averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5 percent (95-for-200) behind the 3-point line. Before starting his college career, Bellot-Green played on CIA Bounce, the same grassroots team as former Rebels Khem Birch, Anthony Bennett and incoming freshman Jalen Poyser.

Bellot-Green is eligible immediately and has two years remaining. He's expected to compete for minutes on the wing with current players senior Ike Nwamu, junior Ben Carter, sophomores Dwayne Morgan, Pat McCaw and Jordan Cornish and incoming freshman Derrick Jones. All of those players can play multiple positions and competition at each spot will be fierce but Bellot-Green said the coaching staff told him he would add a new element to the rotation, though they didn’t discuss specific roles.

“(Rice) likes shooters and that’s what I do well,” Bellot-Green said. “With my versatility, I feel like I can display my talents better there than anywhere else. They said they don’t really have a guy like me on their roster.”

Assistant coach Todd Simon was the primary guy working the recruitment for UNLV. Bellot-Green is the third junior college transfer into UNLV in the last three seasons, though both previous players (Jelan Kendrick and Deville Smith) had started their careers at the Division I level.

Bellot-Green joins Nwamu as the second transfer into the program this offseason. Together with freshmen Stephen Zimmerman, Jones and Poyser, they form one of the country's most highly rated incoming recruiting classes. During his visit, Bellot-Green met several Rebels players and came away impressed with a group he called genuine and funny.

“They look like a nice little group that I can come in and be comfortable with,” he said.

The Rebels still have one scholarship remaining for the 2015-16 season. Bellot-Green’s addition could impact the decision of Findlay Prep’s Justin Jackson, a class of 2016 commit who’s deciding whether to reclassify to 2015.

If Jackson stays in 2016 and takes an extra prep year before coming to UNLV, the Rebels could hold on to the scholarship for a possible midyear transfer — Rice did that his first season, which allowed Birch to join the Rebels — or they could look for another piece to likely take a redshirt.

Wichita State game moved back

The Rebels’ road trip for the renewed Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge has been moved back one week.

Originally scheduled for Dec. 2, UNLV will play at Wichita State on Wednesday, Dec. 9 in a game televised on ESPN2. The change gives the Rebels a little more breathing room after the Maui Invitational (Nov. 23-25) and puts the road trip in the middle of the National Finals Rodeo, the annual event that takes over the Thomas & Mack Center for a week and a half.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.