Bell To Montana

David Bell, one of the West Coast's premier guards in the junior college ranks, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Montana, announced Griz Head Coach Don Holst.

A 6'1", 175-pounder, Bell is from Porterville College, California, one of the top-ranked JC teams in the country the past two seasons.  The Pirates have a two-year record of 62-5 with Bell as a Starter.  His freshman team went 33-4 en route to the California Junior College Championship, while last year's team won 29-1.  His JC coach was George Nessman.

"David had two great years for us," said Nessman, who has had 17 players from his teams move on to the Division I ranks over the past five years.  "He's a great shooter, excellent in transition, and he's just an outstanding offensive player.   He's also a good ball-handler and played some one (point guard) for us.  He is capable of playing the one or two.  He is a versatile player."

Bell is a two-time All Central Valley Conference selection.  As a sophomore he averaged 17 points and 3 assists a game.  He shot 51.1 percent (88-of-169) from three-point range and 82.7 percent (91-of-110) from the line.

His game high is 33 points against Feather River College, when he made 10-of-12 three-point shots, and was chosen the MVP of the Diablo Valley Holiday Tournament.

"David Bell is a very experienced and talented player," Holst said.   "His ability to shoot from three-point range bolsters our outside game, enhances our ability to keep teams honest defensively, and will enable us to put more points on the board.

"He is a highly thought of player in the West and we feel very fortunate to have recruited such a high caliber player," Holst said.  "He's been a winner everywhere he's been.  The team he played for the past two years has won 62 games and a state title.  He's a winner."

David prepped at Hayward High School in Oakland, California, where he was selected the league MVP following his senior year.  He was also All-Metro and MVP of the NorCal Magic AAU Team. He averaged 23 points a game as a senior.

The Grizzlies recently signed 6'7", 230 pound forward Victor Venters (another former Magic player) from Diablo Valley College.  Coach Holst said he expects to sign one more JC player in the near future.

Updated:  March 04, 2009