He still has another year of high school basketball.
But Kentridge High’s Gary Bell couldn’t wait any longer.
The 6-foot-1 guard verbally committed Monday night to play basketball at Gonzaga University after his final year at Kentridge.
Bell, who virtually had his pick of the litter in regards to where he wanted to play after high school, chose Gonzaga over Arizona State, California, USC, UCLA, Washington and Washington State among others.
“It just felt right,” said Bell, who will be on a full-ride scholarship. “I felt like it was the best fit for me, my playing style and everything. The coaching there and the history, you can’t beat it.”
Bell average 22.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this past season in helping the Chargers to a third-place finish in the South Puget Sound League North Division. A first-team all-leaguer for the second consecutive year, Bell established a new league record for points in a game when he torched Auburn Riverside for 55 in December.
The University of Washington and California were also among Bell’s top choices.
“It was a hard choice,” he said. “All three of those schools were there from the beginning.”
Gonzaga has been interested in Bell since his sophomore year.
“I think it’s a good fit,” said Kentridge coach Dave Jamison. “We go to a team camp at Gonzaga a lot and he was very impressed with the coached and the program.”
Bell visited the Spokane-based campus this past weekend and came away impressed.
“After going to (Gonzaga) everything just felt right,” he said.
According to Rivals.com, Bell is the 74th-ranked prep basketball player in the class of 2011.
Kentridge missed the state tournament this past season. However, as a sophomore, Bell led the Chargers to a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament, averaging 18.9 points per game. Bell averaged just under 10 points per game as a freshman, when the Chargers advanced to state, but were unable to place.
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