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here’s no better feeling in the world for Chris Bell than when he’s “hot.” It doesn’t matter if he’s hugging the baseline or a few steps behind the 3-point line. It doesn’t matter if there’s a defender in front of him or charging at him. His trainer, William Lee, told him to always trust his work.

Bell shot confidently on Tuesday against NC State, scoring the first points of the night on a pull-up jumper from the right baseline. He settled in the left corner at the beginning of the second half, caught the ball from Joe Girard III and rose up. Terquavion Smith ran at him with an outstretched right hand, but it didn’t matter. 

“He wasn’t there when I went up for the shot,” Bell said. 

Bell has always been a shooter, using his 6-foot-7 frame to nail attempts over defenders. He’s taken some flack from head coach Jim Boeheim for not doing other things besides shooting, but he’s become a better rebounder and defender throughout the season. And his confidence in his shot, one he spent years perfecting in the front yard and gym, hasn’t wavered.

“Chris is an unbelievable shooter,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said. “If you give him any kind of space, he can score. He can score off the bounce, he can score, catch-and-shoot.”

Bell discovered his shooting ability in the front yard of his childhood home in Concord, California. He would sit outside for hours, taking shot after shot. His mother, Natasha Bell, said that by fifth grade, Bell had already honed in on what would become his greatest skill. 

“We knew that he had the potential, he had the hype, he had the shot,” Natasha said. 

Lee also noticed Bell’s potential instantly as he had a growth spurt in seventh grade and already had the size and movement to be a prolific shooter. During the school year, Lee and Bell would work once a day, refining his ball-handling, defensive slides before taking 300 shots to finish the day. In the summer, he would come back for one more session completely focused on shooting, taking 300 3-pointers and 300 one-, two-dribble pull-ups. 

“I wouldn’t miss too much (either),” Bell said. 

The only tweak Lee had to make to Bell’s shot was to get him to use the most out of his frame instead of staying standstill during his shots. Bell learned how to leap into his shot and shoot over long defenders.

“That was the focus, just getting Chris to jump and know what (using your whole frame) feels like,” Lee said. 

Bell had a “scorer’s mentality,” former De La Salle High School head coach Justin Argenal said. After hitting one or two 3-pointers, Bell could string together three or four more. 

“He’s always been labeled as a shooter, but he’s a lot more than that,” Argenal said. “Over time at Syracuse, he’ll show everybody what his game is and what he’s able to do out there.”

Argenal said Bell’s defense and ball-handling improved over his three years at De La Salle, learning how his skillset could fit into a specific role. Argenal had the Spartans run a flex offense, a system which focused heavily on screening and passing. Bell said the offense is similar to what Syracuse runs now. 

“(Coach Argenal) showed me how to fit into that collegiate system,” Bell said. 

During his senior year, Bell shifted his role again when he left for Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. He moved to power forward for the first time, forfeiting aspects of his game like a lethal step-back 3-pointer, Natasha said. The same has happened at Syracuse, where Bell has solidified his role as a wing in the starting five. He mostly gets shots off catch-and-shoot plays, routinely taking the first shot for the Orange — Bell has made the opening basket in six games this season. 

“My coaches just give me the ability to be confident in my shot,” Bell said. “They put all the confidence in me and I can go and make those shots.”

Bell is “coachable,” Argenal said. He is willing to change his role and understands that Argenal or Boeheim know what they’re talking about. Whenever he’s being coached, Bell said he doesn’t talk back or add his own input, simply listening to “implore” himself into the game. 

The biggest criticism Boeheim has had for Bell, and the rest of Syracuse’s forwards, has been their inability to rebound. Bell had 12 rebounds through Syracuse’s first 10 games. 

Natasha said Boeheim’s feedback has helped Bell understand that he has to fill out the stat sheet and can’t just rely on his strength. So, Bell began working with assistant coach Adrian Autry on rebounding and box out drills in practice. He watched clips of Cole Swider using his physicality in the same position last year. 

Bell’s work has translated into games, and he is slowly becoming the player he wants to be: one that scores double digit points, crashes the boards and gets back quickly on defense. Bell played one of his best defensive games of the year against FSU. He had 12 rebounds in Syracuse’s last four games. 

“Every coach is going to ask something different from you,” Lee said. “Mentally, he just had those talks with coaches and understood what they’re looking for.”

Still, he’s mostly focused on his shooting ability, doing the same workouts he did with Lee. Justin Taylor said he has shooting competitions against Bell in practice, and scoring at a high rate is just “what he does.”

“He works on his game before workouts and stuff, so just seeing that play style tonight, it was good to see that,” Maliq Brown said after Bell scored 15 points against UNC.

Bell knows he’s a work in progress. Lee said he has a deadly triple-threat jab series that he hasn’t brought out yet. But he’s willing to do whatever the team needs, whether that’s shooting 3s, rebounding or playing defense. Eventually, he’ll put those pieces together.  

“Chris is going to be a really big asset for Syracuse,” Natasha said. “Jim (Boeheim) can bring it out to him, help him be a next-level guy.”

Photography by Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

Published on February 15, 2023 at 9:41 pm

Contact Anish: [email protected] | @anish_vasu