10 Feet High

Sometimes the rare talents have a way of falling through the cracks. It’s easy enough to know about the McDonald’s and Parade All-Americans who commit to the Kentucky’s, Carolina’s, and Duke’s of the world. But how about that special player who goes to a smaller school and makes it big? How cool is that?

We witnessed it with Stephen Curry at Davidson and Eric Maynor at Virginia Commonwealth; both first-round draft choices last summer. Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash – who went to Santa Clara – is another example. Certain kids just don’t get the hype during their prep days. Maybe they grow late or develop their games after high school. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I like to say, “I told you so.”

Keion Bell may be one of these kids. The Los Angeles native out of Pasadena High School went virtually un-recruited by the local powerhouses UCLA and USC, and accepted an offer to attend West Coast Conference cellar dweller Pepperdine, a small school that rests beautifully on the Malibu coastline.

Bell, now a sophomore with the Waves, has an unusual blend of power, speed and athletic ability from the point guard position. He is a confident player who attacks the rack with a vicious mentality, and uses his strength to absorb contact and finish around the rim. At 6-3, Bell was the leading guard rebounder in the conference last season, showing he isn’t afraid to mix it up down under with the trees.



The explosive athlete isn’t a consistent outside shooter yet but displays good technique and the ability to develop into one down the road. He must cut down his turnovers (nearly four a game), but this is not uncommon for a young player, especially one who was thrust into the starting point guard position as a true freshman. A source tells me that he is one of the hardest workers he’s ever seen, a true gym rat committed to reaching his ultimate destination – the NBA.

In his first season with the Waves, Bell averaged 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In two games against national powerhouse Gonzaga, he totaled 37 points and 21 boards. Another encouraging sign was that Bell produced even more in the postseason, averaging 17 points in the WCC Tournament. Bell understands the game really well as a young point guard, and knows how to control a game on both ends of the floor. He is a tenacious defender who welcomes the opposition’s best guard, even if it means he has to sacrifice some of his offense – something very challenging for players at every level.

Pepperdine is in the midst of a major rebuilding phase. Despite producing 16 NBA players,and having gone to 13 NCAA tournaments, the proud program has fallen on hard times lately, consistently finishing at the bottom of the West Coast Conference. Having to compete with Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Santa Clara, and San Diego for recruits is difficult, but in the case of Keion Bell, they may have found lightning in a bottle. It’s no stretch to say he could lead them right up the totem pole to the top of the league once again.

Keion Bell still has three years remaining, but if he continues to improve at his current rate, he without question has the natural ability to become the 17th Wave to make it to the league.

Don’t say you weren’t warned…