 As
a sophomore he was named to the defensive All-America team. As a
junior last season he earned mid-major defensive player of the
year honors. This year San Diego’s Corey Belser is the national
defensive player of the year.
“Coach Holland makes it fun to play defense,” says Belser. “He
always talks about how you can win games by making stops and
it’s something that I have worked hard at. It’s a great honor to
be recognized with this award and I have to thank coach Holland
for instilling that defensive mindset.”
The 6-foot-7 senior led the Toreros in rebounding (6.9) and
steals (44) this season, which both ranked among the top five in
the West Coast Conference. But stat lines are not what separate
Belser from the pack.
“He is the best on-the-ball defender in America,” says
collegeinsider.com senior writer Joe Dwyer. “Corey draws the
assignment of guarding the opposition’s top scorer and he shuts
him down.”
Belser’s ability as a stopper was evident during his sophomore
season in the 2003 West Coast tournament. Belser held San
Francisco’s prolific scorer John Cox to 14 points in the
semi-finals. The next night he limited Gonzaga’s Blake Stepp to
ten points, which was his lowest output of the season.
Belser has since gained national attention for his defensive
prowess against Gonzaga’s All-America candidate, Adam Morrison
who scored 16 and 11 points respectively against Belser and San
Diego in two regular season meetings in 2006. Morrison was
5-for-16 against San Diego and scored 13 points from the field,
in the WCC semi-finals.
“You cannot coach or teach what Corey brings to the court,” says
San Diego head coach Brad Holland. “It’s not glorious. It takes
a lot of character and determination and that is what Corey is
all about. I am really happy for him. To be recognized as the
national defensive player of the year is quite an honor. He
truly deserves it.”
Belser missed the 2003-04 season with a severe knee injury,
which makes his accomplishments all the more impressive. |
