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- May 31, 2004
[h3]Villanova lands James Bell
A major Class 2010 commitment, ESPN Top 100 guard/forward James Bell of Montverde Academy, Fla., has picked Villanova over Clemson and Miami-Florida. He also drew attention from Penn State, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Evaluation[/h3]
July, 2008: Bell is tough, physical, strong and very athletic and is making the transition from power forward to small forward. A powerful leaper, he runs for layups and dunks in transition and can get to the rim and finish through contact. He is an excellent driver going right. He dribbles through defensive bumps and does a good job of drawing fouls, displaying a good touch at the free throw line when he got there. He can shoot the 3 off the catch with time. In the post he is very quick. On the left low box he likes to use the baseline spin when he feels the defender is too close when he catches the ball. He will turn and face up off the lane on both sides of the floor and will raise up for the 15-foot jumper if the defender's hands are down. Bell does a great job at reading guard penetration by getting into the vision of the passer and getting his hands ready for the pass. He dunks all clear paths to the rim with authority. Bell is a decent passer out of the post with the ability to find the open man on the immediate kickout or across the court on the weakside. He is a good rebounder on both ends but attacks the offensive glass for tip-ins or dunks as he goes through and around box outs. On defense he is strong and athletic enough to defend both forward positions -- upper-body strength allows him to use his chest and not his hands to stay in front of the ball. He can also push the offensive player out of the lane with his lower-body strength and is quick enough to deny the ball from entering the low post. He needs to continue to develop ball skills, a mid-range game and shooting range. He is a very aggressive and active player, especially around the rim.
February, 2008: Bell has a great body and he is very strong attacking the basket. He can finish in traffic and loves to draw contact. Bell needs to improve his left hand and his ability to make plays for others. His shooting is average at this point and he needs to become more consistent in this area as well. Bell is strong and he is a very aggressive player. Bell needs to make sure that he works on developing his skill level and doesn't use his strength as his only weapon. He is a good rebounding guard and loves physical play.
[h3]Has anybody seen this kid play???[/h3]