Bryce Hamilton flourishing as elite scorer for UNLV

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 | 2 a.m.

It has been a long time since UNLV has had a scorer as good as Bryce Hamilton.

The sophomore guard got off to an uneven start under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger, but over the course of the season Hamilton has developed into one of the most prolific bucket-getters in the Mountain West. And if he gets one more bucket in Saturday’s finale at San Jose State, he’ll become the first Runnin’ Rebel to average 20 points per game in conference play since Tre’Von Willis in 2009-10.

Hamilton, who is currently averaging 21.1 points against MWC competition, wasn’t aware of the milestone but acknowledged it will be meaningful when he scores his first basket on Saturday.

“That’s definitely an accomplishment,” Hamilton said after Friday’s practice. “I haven’t really thought about it, I just go out there and try to play my game. That’s really cool to average 20 throughout the season.”

The achievement would be a testament to Hamilton’s determination. He came to UNLV last year as a heralded 4-star recruit but struggled to find a consistent role as a freshman. He finished his first campaign averaging 4.3 points per game while shooting a lowly 35.3 percent, then watched as head coach Marvin Menzies was fired.

Hamilton explored his options via the transfer portal but ultimately decided to return to UNLV to play for Otzelberger. The fit wasn’t obvious. Hamilton is most comfortable when working off the dribble and rising up for mid-range jump shots, while Otzelberger prefers an analytics-driven approach to offense and generally abhors long 2-point jumpers.

It took time for Hamilton to figure out his place in the new scheme. He scored in single digits in five of UNLV’s first six games and topped out exactly at 10 in the other. Following a lackluster performance against Pacific in December, Otzelberger played Hamilton just seven minutes off the bench in the following game against Robert Morris. Hamilton attempted one shot, missed it, and finished with zero points.

It has been nothing but buckets since then. Hamilton has scored at least 13 points in all 17 games since, including eight 20-point performances and a career-high 35 against New Mexico on Jan. 18. His overall scoring average has risen to 15.7 points per game on 46.1-percent shooting; he is hitting at a sizzling rate of 50.7 percent in league play.

Otzelberger has coached Hamilton hard at times this year, but that approach appears to have brought out the best in him.

“He’s been extremely coachable, which has allowed us to see his upside and potential and challenge him to be better,” Otzelberger said. “He has continued to develop because he has embraced those challenges and what we’ve seen in him and really telling him we’re going to demand that from you every time out. He has put in the work and I’m proud to see his continued progress.”

Hamilton said the biggest difference in his second-half tear has been an increased comfort level in the offense — and his belief in himself.

“Mostly just confidence,” Hamilton said. “I knew my abilities and what I could do, but that confidence took me to another level. I’ve just been able to make shots and make plays this year.”

The star scorer and the iron-fisted coach have even come to an understanding about those pesky mid-range jumpers.

Because of the sheer number of shots the Rebels are counting on Hamilton to take as the No. 1 option, Otzelberger concedes that not all of them are going to be from optimal spots on the floor.

“I’ve got to put trust in our players to make plays that help our team win,” Otzelberger said. “Bryce is shooting 50 percent in league play, taking 16-17 shots most nights out. So he’s probably going to have a distribution where he’s taking four or five from the 3, a couple in the mid-range and hopefully a lot at the rim and in the paint. As a coach you want to educate your guys on shot selection and analytics, and at the same time you want to put your trust and confidence in them to make the plays that help your team win. Bryce has done a great job of understanding that.”

Hamilton’s side of the mid-range compromise is more simple.

“You’ve just got to be able to make ‘em,” Hamilton said with a smile. “I take what the defense gives me. I try to take the best shot available at the time, and I trust in my mid-range game, so I take that shot.”

Hamilton has rewarded his coach’s faith by knocking down those in-between jumpers at a near-automatic rate. According to Synergy Sports data, Hamilton has hit 64.3 percent of his jump shots from between 17 feet to the 3-point arc. That makes him the sixth-most efficient mid-range player in the entire country.

Because he keeps cashing in, Hamilton has all but insulated himself from his coach’s criticism when it comes to shot selection.

“I don’t hear it that much anymore,” Hamilton laughed.

In his pursuit of that 20-points-per-game average, it would be fitting for Hamilton to knock down a pull-up from the elbow to open the game against San Jose State. But whether he does it with a jumper, a drive to the rim or from the free-throw line, the Rebels know he is going to get that bucket — and plenty more.

And no one is more sure of that than Otzelberger.

“There’s not a lot of things you can bank on as a coach,” Otzelberger said, “but I’m pretty confident Bryce will get that two points.”

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