Moser learning to handle front-line role

He went from one of several names on a scouting report to the UNLV player opponents attempted to stop first.

It’s a common occurrence in sports, making the switch from good to hunted. It’s also a tough one to conquer.

Moser has had problems adjusting, and yet on a stage where the Rebels needed to play well Saturday, he helped lead UNLV to a victory that pads an already solid NCAA Tournament resume.

The Rebels beat No. 19 Illinois 64-48 at the United Center, and Moser offered his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds and playing with a level of energy absent from the forward of late.

Moser went for 16 points and 18 rebounds against then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 26, a win that introduced Dave Rice’s first Rebels team as more than NCAA worthy and Moser as a UCLA transfer who was deserving of all the lofty expectations that preceded his sophomore season.

He followed the effort against Carolina with 34 points and 10 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara, bringing the predictable and yet unfair talk about his pro potential and whether he would last even three years at UNLV.

This too is common in sports, unrealistic reactions fueled by the often mindless chatter of tweets and message boards.

Hype can be a foolish thing when placed in the hands of fans.

“We knew Mike would be a good player for us but, coming off a redshirt season, didn’t know how fast it might happen,” Rice said. “He had so much success early, the game almost came a little bit too easy for him. But he’s one of the hardest working guys on our team, and in the last couple of days during practice, you could see he had his legs back.”

Moser’s four games following a double-overtime win against UCSB went like this: Averages of 7.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.8 turnovers, and 37 percent shooting.

A sprained wrist slowed him a bit, but the injury did and continues to receive too much mention given Moser averaged nearly 30 minutes those four games. Guys play hurt all the time. His struggles were about something different.

He suddenly was being double-teamed more, taken out of his comfort zone, denied open shots. He responded as most young players do, which is to say he forced action, took bad shots, attempted to make plays that weren’t there.

Here is one of the best things about Rice as a coach and why the Rebels will recruit well under him: He lets guys play. He allows for an offensive freedom that pushes the limit of what is a good shot. He encourages an attack mode.

It’s a fun style, and yet one that players can’t help but sometimes cross the line of sound judgment.

“I forced a lot the last four games,” Moser said. “(Rice) and I talked about having better shot selection and how important it is for us. He gives us so much freedom. I passed up shots (Saturday) that I had been taking, ones that weren’t the best. It was hard once teams began (focusing on me), but I’m a team leader and have to step up and take it as a challenge.”

You can’t overstate the importance of anyone averaging 12 rebounds, of a player who, no matter how poorly he might perform offensively on a given night, is certain to give you double digits in boards each time out. Kawhi Leonard did it for San Diego State last season. It’s an invaluable trait.

It’s also true Moser makes mistakes — he had six of UNLV’s 18 turnovers Saturday — and plays too fast at times and pushes the limits of that offensive freedom. But it is a style that better fits his game than one he played as a freshman at UCLA, where the Bruins have been known to attack offensively at times as if in a coma.

“Things don’t always work out how you think they might at first,” Moser said. “Who’s to know, really, why they didn’t (at UCLA). I think it’s more about a fit, about a team’s chemistry, than any style. If you come in and fit right away like I did here, things just click.”

It’s not easy going from small-budget movie to blockbuster, from relatively unknown to No. 1 concern on an opponent’s scouting report.

Moser is learning more and more how to handle the role, how one shining moment never should be limited to one terrific night in November.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on “Monsters of the Midday,” Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.