“The team that gets him will be very, very happy because he’s a heckuva of a player, the best of the best.”
That’s how veteran import recruiter Bobby Rius, the former Ateneo cager now living in Las Vegas, sized up Boston University’s Rashad Bell who’s arriving in Manila this weekend to play in the PBA Fiesta Conference.
Rius said he’s not at liberty to disclose which team Bell is playing for. But it’s a lucky team, he added. The scuttlebutt is the struggling team has a below .500 record but is coming off a big win with a replacement import.
Bell, 25, is fresh from averaging 25.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocked shots and 35 minutes for ZTE KK in the Hungarian league. His single-game scoring high was 46 points. He’s flying in from Budapest. The power forward from Queens, New York, previously saw action as an import in Finland, France and Sweden.
The big question is – will Bell pass the PBA height limit of 6-6? He’s listed in record books as standing anywhere between 6-8 1/2 to 6-6. Would-be San Miguel Beer import Kelly Whitney of Seton Hall University was victimized by the bar before the conference started. He planed in only to be sent home after measuring over the limit.
Rius, however, said he’s confident Bell will make the grade.
Bell played four years at Boston University, leading the Terriers varsity to consecutive 20-win seasons. As a senior in 2004-05, he averaged 15.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .576 from the floor and .698 from the line. His college single-game highs included 26 points and 13 rebounds.
Bell was named Male Athlete of the Year in his final season at Boston University. As a campus hero, he had a ready smile for everyone. “I’m always smiling,” he once said. “I can make the next person smile. That’s my talent.” His off-court disposition was in stark contrast to a determined and uncompromising outlook on the floor.
Varsity teammate Chaz Carr said, “He’s a competitor on the court, he won’t back down from anybody.”
Toronto Raptors director of player personnel and former PBA coaching consultant Jim Kelly recommended Bell to Rius after receiving positive feedback from European scout Alberto Buzzavo.
“Bell’s an undersized power forward, a decent player, an overall good rebounder – offensively and defensively, can put the ball on the floor, very energetic and a good athlete,” said Buzzavo. “I think he will be more than good for the Philippines.”
Bell is represented by agent Kenny Grant who brought 7-foot Italian Andrea Bargnani to the NBA as the league’s No. 1 overall draft pick last year.
Rius was the broker credited for bringing the likes of Tony Harris, David Thirdkill, John Best, Michael Young and Al Green to the PBA. He’s been involved in import recruiting for over 30 years.
This conference, Rius sent James Penny to Red Bull and Marquin Chandler to Purefoods.
