A Mountain Of A Man
June 30, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Jimmy Bell Jr. feels he’s a perfect fit for Mississippi State.
STARKVILLE – He's 6-foot-10 and around 280 pounds. He's one of those guys that, when you see him, you can't help but take notice.
He's Jimmy Bell Jr., and come November, he's got all the tools to be a big presence in the post and in the locker room for MSU head coach Chris Jans' Bulldogs.
"He is a mountain of a man," Jans said of Bell. "I'm not sure I've coached anyone that is that big that moves that well."
For as impressive as Bell's stature is, it's just one of many tools the transfer from West Virginia has in his toolbox as he gets set to play his final collegiate season in Starkville. Many of Bell's weapons are precisely the kind Jans wants his players armed with, too.
He's hard-nosed. He's gritty. He's tough. He's a leader. Bell fits right in with a State program that prides itself on strong, blue-collar play.
"I'm a big bully on the court," Bell said. "I play hard on defense. I'm a big body down there trying to stop everybody. I will rebound and put a body on you. You ask a lot of people I played, and they'll say that I am the strongest person they have ever played against. I take that as a plus for me. I'm just a hard basketball player on defense, and on offense, I just get boards and try to dunk on somebody."
Bell certainly seems like a perfect piece to add to the mix in the low block. The more he learned about MSU as he made his decision, the more the Saginaw, Michigan, native felt he'd be right at home in the Magnolia State.
Jans of course was a huge part of why.
"Once I started getting recruited by him, he broke my game down and everything," Bell said of Jans. "He knew exactly what I needed to do to get better and what I need to keep doing. Coach Jans impressed me a lot when he started recruiting me. He told me a lot that I didn't know about myself. He opened my eyes, opened my mom's eyes and we just fell in love with being here."
Bell embraced the Bulldogs. Meanwhile Jans and company are equally thrilled to welcome in a man with the skillset and intangibles Bell possesses.
Bell led the Big 12 in offensive rebounding a year ago. He also provided 10 or more points on five different occasions with two of his top three scoring efforts against Top-15 competition. Bell started every game last season and helped lead the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament.
"He's just a wonderful kid and an experienced player," Jans said of Bell. "Obviously [West Virginia is] a well-coached, tough-nosed, hard-nosed program. So, he's got that walking in the door. It was a huge pickup for us and just adds another anchor to our team. He's just got the right disposition. Certainly, he's got the experience playing at the high level. He's already shown that he understands the physicality and what is required to win at this level. So, we're really excited about having him."
For Bell, he's not just satisfied to defend, rebound and score. He's ready to contribute however he can.
"I adapt very well and I'm a veteran, so I don't really have a problem coming in and being the leader that I need to be," Bell said. "I'm a good person on the court and off the court, so whenever I need the job done, I get it done. Whether it's needing to get on somebody about something, or I have to talk to somebody about something. Whatever way I go, I'm going to go 110 percent at it. I always tend to be successful at it."
It's apparent Bell brings yet another winning attitude to a team already full of them. He fits right in, right down to one of his key motivators.
Like MSU, Bell also experienced defeat early on in March Madness a season ago. It was disappointing, but at the same time, it lit a fire under Bell that's still burning now that he's at State.
It just so happens, Bell's new teammates know precisely how he feel. All are determined to use last season's ending as fuel on 2023-24's promising journey.
"We all talk about it in the weight room," Bell said. "They got hunger from last year. I've got hunger from last year. We are hoping to both go further this year together."