Freshman guard looks to fulfill hype

It takes even the fleetest of foot a while before they grow strong enough to run at top speed. For freshman guard Gary Bell Jr., that time can't come soon enough.

After an 0-for-5 shooting performance in the Bulldogs' 95-51 victory over Carroll College, Bell was admittedly a little disappointed.

"I could've made a couple of those shots," he said.

He's not down on himself, as he's quick to add that "those [shots] will come." Coaches and teammates agree, but the expectation to carry his high school success over to the collegiate level must be weathered — at least for now.

"Coming out of high school, he was the man," senior guard Marquise Carter said of the 6-foot-2 Bell, who is the highest rated recruit since Austin Daye stepped foot on campus in the fall of 2007. "He had the ball all of the time, he shot it whenever he wanted. But, up here [in college] it's off and on. He gets shots here, he gets shots there."

"I tell him to do the things he has a control over," said assistant coach Donny Daniels.  "Concentrate on defense, make sure you're closing out the right way, get on the ground for loose balls.

"Things happen so fast and so immediate, you can't play backwards."

With the graduation of Steven Gray, and Demetri Goodson's sudden change of heart when he transferred, Bell, a combo guard, is right in the middle of a battle for the last guard spot, a post he held in the exhibition opener.

That competition lies solidly on his shoulders and on fellow freshman guards Kevin Pangos, Kyle Dranginis and Chris Sarbaugh.

The freshmen class (forward Ryan Spangler included) is extremely close, even referring to themselves as the "Fast Five," Bell said. But, that doesn't stop them from competing with each other in practice.

"I like the competition, everything is a competition in practice. You have to go hard all the time," Bell said. "We're all young. Playing against each other every practice is going to get us better."

"With Gary, it seems like he's a step ahead of the freshmen," Carter said. "He's got the killer instinct attitude. He doesn't back down to anybody."

That includes Carter himself, a rivalry on the court, which Carter refers to simply as "business."

Carter can relate to Bell, as a highly-regarded junior college player a year ago, it took him the first 20 games to get acclimated with the college A-game, before finishing so strongly he drew West Coast Conference tournament MVP honors.

"I was just worrying about making mistakes, every time I missed a shot I was worried about coming out. Eventually he'll learn, like I did not to worry about it," Carter said.

Bell, a native of Kent, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, picked the Zags over California and Washington. He verbally committed in April of his junior year and attributes a large part of the decision to his visit during last year's Kraziness in the Kennel.

 "When you're in the stands it's like ‘I can't wait to play here,'" Bell said of the atmosphere. "It's even better when you're on the court and the crowd is rooting for you."

But the coaching staff also chose him.

"Before you get involved with a young man, you see if he can play the game of basketball. It's obvious Gary can do that," Daniels said. "Being such a nice young man, that's just cherry on top."

Bell also felt comfortable with the coaches, who he said he believes are some of the best in the country.

But they aren't the only ones instructing the guard on ways to improve, Bell said Carter and fellow returnee David Stockton teach him on a daily basis.

"They help a lot. They tell me different things to do on the court. They tell me "keep shooting," when my shot isn't falling," he said.

He's listening too, devoting extra time to get that jump shot in order both before and after practice.

According to Carter, that's exactly what the Bulldogs will ask of them this season.

"Right now, he just needs to hit his open shots and play solid defense," Carter said.