CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – If the Island Storm is hurting in the paint, then new addition Marcus Bell may be just what the basketball doctor ordered.
Bell, a six-foot-nine, 235-pound forward out of Modesto, Calif., arrives today from the Republic Indonesia where the Cal State Stanislaus alum played with a high-level basketball team touring the southeast Asian country.
With a minor illness, Bell isn’t expected to play in tonight’s 7 p.m. National Basketball League of Canada game versus the Cape Breton Highlanders, but Storm head coach Tim Kendrick hopes to have him for Sunday’s 2 p.m. matinee with the Moncton Magic. Both games are the Eastlink Centre.
“(We need him) for rebounding and defence… and shot-blocking. Not to say he doesn’t have some offence, he has good low-post game,” said Kendrick.
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At Stanislaus, Bell averaged 17.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.22 blocks per game during 32 games in his senior season in 2013-14.
In eight games with Frayles de Guasave of the Mexican league in 2015-16, he averaged 16 points and 10.6 rebounds with a .665 field-goal percentage.
The Storm is looking for help for rookie centre Zach Valliere after losing seven-foot centre Asauhn Dixon-Tatum to the NBA G-League’s Salt Lake City Stars and six-foot-11 centre Nick Evans and the Storm parted ways.
The deficit was on display in the Storm’s 115-83 loss to Moncton Saturday when the Magic out-rebounded the Storm 77-27 overall and 33-7 on the offensive glass.
“To their credit Moncton took advantage of that,” said Kendrick.
Earlier in his career, Bell was a teammate of Storm guard Frank Sessions in the Drew League in Los Angeles.
