Belser for the Defense

One of the NBA's premier defensive players is Bruce Bowen, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward for the NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs. The four-time All-NBA Defensive Team choice isn't an imposing physical presence, but he's a defensive stopper who hits 3-point field goals.

Sound familiar? It should for those who follow University of San Diego basketball.

Toreros senior forward Corey Belser is "one of the five best defensive players in the nation and has NBA shooting range," says USD coach Brad Holland, who was Bowen's head coach at Cal State Fullerton in the early 1990s.

That was Holland prior to USD's West Coast Conference showdown Saturday between No. 6-ranked Gonzaga and the Toreros before a sellout crowd of 5,132 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

This was Holland, upgrading his evaluation, after Gonzaga escaped with a 64-63 win despite Belser's stifiling defense limiting the Bulldogs' Adam Morrison, the nation's leading scorer at 28.2 points a game, to 16 points.

"Corey did an awesome job," Holland said. "For anyone to say Corey isn't one of the three best defenders in the nation, you're not watching college basketball."

Morrison hit only 5-of-11 shots -- he averages 18 a game -- and appeared frustrated when called for three offensive fouls. Two of Morrison's early misses were air balls, with USD's student section breaking into the familiar basketball sing-song chant of "A-i-i-r B-a-a-ll!".

So, it's no coincidence that the 6-foot-6, 218-pound Belser's favorite NBA player is Bowen.

"I love the story of Bruce Bowen coming out of Cal State Fullerton, not getting drafted and making it in the NBA," Belser said. "He's one of those guys who takes pride in his defense and doesn't like to be scored upon."

The Bowen-Belser comparison is fitting subject matter since Belser faced an NBA-like challenge against Morrison.

Morrison, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound junior, is a John Wooden Award candidate and is projected to be an NBA Draft lottery pick if he leaves school after this season.

Belser has been recognized as a defensive stopper in the WCC since his sophomore year (he missed the 2003-04 season with a knee injury), when the Toreros knocked off Gonzaga in the 2003 WCC tournament final to earn an NCAA tournament berth. Belser limited Gonzaga's Blake Stepp, the WCC Player of the Year, to 10 points in that game.

Belser is versatile enough to defend forwards and guards and has consistently shut down the opponent's leading scorer this year. Against Loyola of Chicago, Blake Schilb came into the game averaging 17.8 points and went home with three points, including no field goals.

"It's something you can't teach," Holland said. "It's something instinctive in him just like a good rebounder or a good shot blocker. It was one of things I loved about him in the recruiting process. He took tremendous pride in his defense, and you don't see that in most high school players."

Belser, from Spanaway, Wash., says his defensive work ethic stems from backyard games against his father, Aaron, and older brother, Chris, who went on to play wide receiver at the University of Idaho. He also cited pickup games at nearby Fort Lewis in Tacoma.

"Those military guys foul you hard and take no prisoners," Belser said. "They don't care if you're just a high school kid."

USD has asked more of Belser offensively this year, and he has responded by averaging 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game.

"Corey Belser is the quiet assassin," says Loyola Marymount coach Rodney Tention. "He's strong with the ball and he never forces anything. He's not just one of the best defensive player in the West Coast Conference, he's one of the best defensive players in the West."

The basketball lineage of Bowen and Belser can be traced through Holland and former Los Angeles Lakers defensive stopper Michael Cooper, whom Holland played with on the Lakers.

"Corey is a better defender at this stage than Bruce was, but it's all about finding your niche in the NBA," Holland said. "The Spurs fell in love with Bruce because of his commitment to defense. Bruce grew up watching Michael Cooper play for the Lakers, and he used to pick my brain about what kind of player Cooper was."

Cooper is the guy the Lakers assigned to Boston's Larry Bird in a Celtics-Lakers matchup that was a game within the game.

In the Morrison versus Belser game within the game, Belser draws upon a little of Bruce Bowen and a little of Michael Cooper, not to mention those backyard games withi father and big brother and those pickup games at Fort Lewis.

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.