Bell Pondering Signing Early

[Cooley]

October 27, 2005

Now at his third stop in three years, Ben Bell may be ready to settle on his fourth destination. The solid 6-foot-3, 170-pound point guard originally from Irving is now at San Jacinto College in Pasadena after playing at Weatherford last year, and is considering a move back closer to the DFW area. Bell is currently evaluating all of his options - which includes waiting until the spring to sign - but there's no doubt that one school is on the forefront of his mind.

"Ben really likes North Texas - they're at the top right now," said San Jacinto assistant coach Scott Horstman. "He visited them about three weekends ago for football homecoming. He also visited Louisiana Tech last weekend, and he's also getting mail from a whole bunch of schools, and some others like Iona and La Salle have called. He's getting a lot of play, but UNT is on top."

North Texas leads for Bell's services for several reasons. The question at this point is if they lead enough to secure his signature in the fall signing period. "He likes them because it's close to home and he has a chance to step in and play," Horstman said. "He would like to commit and sign early, but it appears his dad is telling him to maybe wait. But if were to sign early, it would be with UNT."

As a freshman at Weatherford College last season, Bell was named co-Freshman of the Year in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference and earned a spot on the All-Conference Team. He'll step right into a big role with the Ravens this year. "Ben is a true point guard who gets the ball to the open man," Horstman said. "He has a nice mid-range jumper, and can shoot the three well-enough to keep you honest, although I wouldn't necessarily call him a three-point shooter. Last year for Weatherford, he shot 40 percent from the three-point line but he didn't take that many shots. He's got good size and quickness, and he's a very good defender too."

Texas Hoops Analysis: Ben is a very athletic guard who can really create with the dribble. He is very quick to the hole, can elevate and finish in the paint, handles it well in the open court and plays with a lot of energy.

[Zeke]

I have to admit, football homecoming was freakin' awesome!!!

[UNTSportsGuy]

Juco players can only take your program so far, it is about time JJ started bringing in some solid HS kids to keep the program heading in the right direction.

[UNTLifer]

JJ has six kids on the roster that he signed out of high school, so I would say he's doing okay. The roster this year is very young. The breakdown is as follows:

3 Seniors

5 Juniors

4 Sophmores

3 Freshmen

Next year, if everything stays the same and the players we expect to sign, sign, the roster would be:

5 Seniors

6 Juniors

3 Sophmores

1 Freshman.

[ADLER]

Bell also has a big 6'10" freshman teammate that may develope into a solid division 1 player.

Luiz Moreira

6´10˝ Freshman —Post

Brasilia, Brazil

Coach’s comments: Played for a city team in Brazil and was discovered while playing in pickup games in New York. Runs well for a big man and will work on upper body strength while adding depth down low for the Ravens.

[eulesseagle]

Are you saying we are getting Luis M????

[ADLER]

Are you saying we are getting Luis M????

←

No, just stating that he has an athletic 6'10" fresman teammate that may be a potential recruit for the following season. No inside information.

[UNTSportsGuy]

I was looking at the roster online, I had no idea that the Harolds' were both recruited by ACC schools. Hopefully they devolope and help further the programs growth.