James Bell (basketball)

James Bell
No. 31 – Hapoel Holon
Position Small forward
League Ligat HaAl
Personal information
Born (1992-01-07) January 7, 1992
Plainfield, New Jersey
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Montverde Academy
(Orlando, Florida)
College Villanova (2010–2014)
NBA draft 2014 / Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–2015 Vanoli Cremona
2015–2016 SLUC Nancy
2016–present Hapoel Holon
Career highlights and awards

James Tahj Mainor-Bell (born January 7, 1992) is an American basketball player for Hapoel Holon. He played college basketball for Villanova. Born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, he moved to Orlando, Florida to attend Montverde Academy. In his senior year at Montverde, he averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to lead Montverde to a 23-5 record and was named a third team All-American by USA Today. Both his freshman and sophomore years at Villanova were hampered by injuries to his leg and ankle. He increased his scoring average to 8.6 points per game as a junior to lead Villanova to the NCAA tournament.

Early life and high school career

Bell was born on January 7, 1992 to James Mainor and Erika Bell. He has two younger brothers, Jayden and Justin. Bell was raised in Plainfield, New Jersey but moved to Orlando, Florida to attend Montverde Academy. He was named Lake County player of the year as a junior and senior. As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to lead Montverde to a 23-5 record and national ranking. The Orlando Sentinel selected Bell to the first team all-area at the conclusion of his senior year.[1] USA Today named him a third team All-American, and Parade named him a fourth team All-American.[2] He was Scout.com's No. 78-ranked player in the 2010 recruiting class.[3]

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
James Bell
SF		 Montverde, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jul 31, 2008 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Overall Recruiting Rankings:     Scout – 78

College career

Freshman

As a freshman, Bell was a backup to guards Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, and Maalik Wayns. He was hampered by stress fractures in his tibia.[3] The injury was so bad it required metal rods to be inserted in both legs.[4] He missed the first five games of his freshman year recuperating from the surgery.[5] With Stokes injured, Bell scored a season-high 21 points in a win over Seton Hall on February 15, 2011.[6] He averaged 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game as a freshman.[1]

Sophomore

As a sophomore, Bell averaged 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and shot 36% from behind the three point arc. He scored a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting along with six rebounds to help the Wildcats beat Seton Hall 84-76 on January 21, 2012. On January 25, he recorded his first double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to Louisville.[1] He suffered a sprained ankle on February 15, 2012, which derailed the rest of his sophomore season.[2] Villanova finished the season a disappointing 13-19.[7]

Junior

Bell posted averages of 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in his junior season. Villanova went 11-2 in games that he scored in excess of 10 points.[1] His season-high 19 points came on November 11, when the Wildcats defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd.[8] The following game, Bell hit two three pointers in overtime to help Villanova defeat Purdue 89-81. He finished with 16 points.[9] Bell tallied 12 points–including the winning three pointer–in a December 11 victory over crosstown rival Saint Joseph's.[10] On January 26, 2013, Bell notched 13 ponts and hit consecutive three-pointers in overtime in a win over Syracuse. Villanova reached the NCAA tournament, and Bell scored four points in their matchup versus North Carolina.[1]

Senior

Bell averaged 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to lead Villanova to three wins over USC, Kansas and Iowa and the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. As a result, he earned Big East and Philadelphia Big 5 player of the week honors on December 2, 2013.[11] He scored a career-high 30 points in a 94-85 overtime win over Marquette on January 25, 2014.[12] The performance earned him Big 5 player of the week honors. He was named the Big 5 player of the week the following week after scoring 19 points in a victory over Temple.[13] For the week of February 10, he garnered his third straight Big 5 player of the week honors as well as being named Big East player of the week.[2] On February 13, he was named one of the 30 finalists for Naismith College Player of the Year.[14] Bell scored his 1000th point in a Villanova uniform in a March 6 game against Xavier. By defeating the Musketeers, Villanova clinched their first regular season Big East championship since 1982.[15]

As a senior, Bell led the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game, and tied for the team high in rebounding with 6.1 per game. In the NCAA Tournament, Bell posted 14 points and 5 rebounds in a loss to eventual national champion Connecticut.[1] He was named to the all-Big East First Team at the conclusion of the regular season.[16] He was selected to the District Ii (NY, NJ, DE, DC, PA, WV) All-District team by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).[17] Bell was listed on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All‐District 5 first team on March 12.[18] He won the Robert V. Geasey Trophy honoring the best player in the Big 5.[19] Villanova coach Jay Wright said that Bell's "got as much respect as any player we've had here."[20]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, Bell joined the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA Summer League.[21]

On July 27, 2014 he signed a one-year contract with the Italian team Vanoli Cremona.[22]

After a good year in Italy, he transferred to France to play for Nancy.[23]

International career

Following the close of his freshman year at Villanova, Bell was selected to the U.S. team sent to Riga, Latvia for the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. Bell started all nine matches and averaged 3.8 points per game on and 3.1 rebounds per contest. The United States finished 7–2, good for fifth in the tournament.[24] His best game was a 16-point, eight-rebound performance to help the U.S. defeat Canada 83-34 in the opening day of the second round of the tournament.[25]

Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NCAA

College statistics[1][26]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Villanova Wildcats 25 0 9.1 .417 .323 .786 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 2.4
2011–12 Villanova Wildcats 29 18 23.0 .393 .361 .794 3.8 1.3 0.7 0.3 7.0
2012–13 Villanova Wildcats 34 34 28.5 .401 .364 .737 4.2 1.4 1.1 0.4 8.6
2013–14 Villanova Wildcats 34 34 29.5 .426 .371 .815 6.1 1.6 1.3 0.6 14.4

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "James Bell Profile". Villanova Wildcats. Villanova University. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Toohey, Terry (February 13, 2014). "Villanova's James Bell has found his comfort zone". The Reporter. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  3. 1 2 DeCourcy, Mike (August 26, 2010). "Villanova freshman guard James Bell out of action indefinitely". The Sporting News. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Villanova guard Bell undergoes surgery". The Sporting News. September 10, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Kuzydym, Stephanie (May 18, 2011). "Orlando's James Bell trying out for U-19 Team USA basketball". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ "With Corey Stokes out, Villanova turns to frosh to end 2-game skid". Associated Press. ESPN. February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ "South Florida handles Villanova to keep NCAA tournament bubble hopes alive". Associated Press. ESPN. March 7, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Villanova 80, Marshall 68". Associated Press. ESPN. November 11, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "James Bell's 3-pointers in OT guide Nova past Purdue". Associated Press. ESPN. November 15, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Villanova 65, Saint Joseph's 61". Associated Press. ESPN. December 11, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ "James Bell named Big East & Big 5 Player of the Week". SB Nation. December 2, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ "No. 4 Villanova holds off Marquette, 94-85 in OT". Associated Press. ESPN. January 25, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ Tynes, Tyler (February 3, 2014). "Big East Weekly Awards: James Bell named to conference honor roll". SBNation. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ "2013-14 Men's Naismith Trophy Midseason 30". Naismith Awards. February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kerr, Mike (March 7, 2014). "Villanova wins rare Big East title". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ Toohey, Terry (March 11, 2014). "Villanova senior James Bell named Big East first team all-conference". Main Line Media News. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  17. ↑ "USBWA Names 2013-14 Men's All-District Teams". United States Basketball Writers Association. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ "National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces 2013-14 Division I All-District Teams" (PDF). National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "James Bell named Big 5 Player of the Year". Big5.org. March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  20. ↑ Juliano, Joe (March 2, 2014). "Bell has grown into the leader for Villanova". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  21. ↑ Letourneau, Connor (June 30, 2014). "Former Oregon State Beavers star Roberto Nelson to join Charlotte Hornets in NBA's Las Vegas Summer League". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Vanoli Cremona lands James Bell". Sportando. 26 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "James Bell firma allo SLUC Nancy". Sportando.com. July 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Tenth FIBA U19 World Championship 2011". USA Basketball. 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  25. ↑ "James Bell leads U.S. past Canada". Associated Press. ESPN. July 4, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  26. ↑ "James Bell Stats, News, Photos –Villanova Wildcats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.