Vitaliy Shibel stepping in as UNLV’s small-ball center

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 | 2 a.m.

UNLV’s guards get most of the credit for UNLV’s win at New Mexico on Saturday, as Bryce Hamilton, Amauri Hardy, Marvin Coleman and Elijah Mitrou-Long combined to score 66 points in the Rebels’ 78-73 victory at the Pit. But they wouldn’t have been in position to win if it hadn’t been for a big man who scored all of two points.

Backup center Vitaliy Shibel didn’t post a pretty stat line — 1-of-5 shooting, 0-of-1 from 3-point range — but he played a valuable role in getting UNLV to the finish line. Because of Donnie Tillman’s injury and early foul trouble for forward Nick Blair, the Rebels were left with only two bigs to cover nearly 36 minutes of game time. Starting center Mbacke Diong logged 22 minutes, and Shibel picked up the rest of the slack, playing nearly 17 minutes entirely in small-ball lineups.

In the 16:39 Shibel was on the floor, UNLV kept pace with New Mexico, as the teams played to a 34-34 deadlock.

As the Rebels head into the closing stretch of the season, their lineups figure to get smaller. That means head coach T.J. Otzelberger will need Shibel to continue giving the team a steady presence when he’s the only big man on the floor.

After practice on Monday, Otzelberger said Shibel gives the Rebels a different look than Diong, who possesses a more traditional skill set.

“He has really developed,” Otzelberger said. “He’s got a more fluid approach on the perimeter where he can dribble handoff, he can knock down shots, he can move the basketball. He’s been good for us on the offensive boards, kept some possessions alive, so it’s been a weapon for us where he’s been able to stretch the defense a little bit more when he’s in there.”

Shibel’s most valuable offensive attribute is his outside touch. Though he’s shooting just 30.4 percent from 3-point range on the season, the 6-foot-9 forward has connected at a 38.5-percent clip during Mountain West play. That makes him UNLV’s most accurate long-distance shooter in-conference.

His best performance came against Fresno State on Feb. 8, when he played 19 minutes and scored 13 points in a game the Rebels won, 68-67. Shibel was perfect on the day, shooting 4-of-4 from the field, 2-of-2 from the free-throw line and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

The Ukraine native said he is committed to shooting when opponents leave him open.

“I’m confident,” Shibel said. “The guys believe in me, they always want me to shoot. Coach believes in me. It gives me so much confidence. The ability to space the floor, it helps guys like Amauri and Bryce get downhill.”

When Shibel is in at center, surrounded by guards, his ability to step beyond the arc and pull a big defender with him is key to opening driving lanes.

Hamilton’s eyes get wide when he sees the opposing team’s biggest defender vacate the paint in order to stay close to Shibel on the perimeter.

“It just gives us more options,” Hamilton said. “The defense is probably still going to pack in, but that gives us more options when the floor is spaced out. The defense has to respect him because he’s a good shooter, so when he pops the defense respects him and the floor is much more open for us to drive.”

Depending on the flow of the game, Shibel may not see a ton of playing time against Colorado State on Tuesday, as Rams center Nico Carvacho is a full-sized pivot who probably requires UNLV to counter with Diong. But there are sure to be other matchups — maybe even in the most important games of the year — where Shibel will be called upon to anchor a small lineup.

Over the first 26 games of the season, UNLV used Shibel as the center in four-guard lineups for 24 minutes and 27 seconds, and the results were good: the Rebels outscored opponents during that time, 46-37. Add his 17 good minutes against New Mexico and it looks like Shibel is capable of keeping the Rebels competitive when they go small.

Shibel, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Arizona State in the offseason, is averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.

Though there may be more significant playing time in his near future, Shibel is keeping the same mindset from the beginning of the season, when he started out by picking up DNPs in the first three games.

“I don’t look at it as a big change,” Shibel said. “Coach tells me to do something and I do my best to help the team.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.