How Xavier Bell keeps going left, and keeps scoring, for Wichita State basketball
By Taylor Eldridge – The Wichita Eagle (TNS)
Dec. 30—It isn’t lost upon Xavier Bell that this is the final season he will wear a Wichita State men’s basketball uniform.
And that makes the current hot streak the Wichita native is on all the more special.
Bell delivered his third straight 20-point explosion, this time in the form of a WSU career-high 29 points, to help lead the Shockers to an 87-72 win over Friends. Wichita State finishes nonconference play with a 10-3 record.
In his last five games, Bell is averaging 20.2 points with some of the most efficient play of his career: 60.7% shooting from the field (37 of 61), 71.4% shooting on 3-pointers (5 of 7) and 81.5% shooting on free throws (22 of 27).
He also recently surpassed 1,000 career points.
“I’m just super grateful, man,” Bell said Sunday. “This is my last season playing college basketball, being here in Wichita, being from here, my family coming to the games, it just means a lot to me. The only word I can use right now is just grateful.”
The Shockers are certainly grateful lately for Bell’s signature left-handed finishes around the rim, as they have rescued the team from spells of poor play — Sunday night included.
WSU head coach Paul Mills recently compared Bell’s ability to score with his left hand to former NBA great Manu Ginobili. Every scouting report emphasizes Bell’s dominant hand and advises forcing him right, yet the 6-foot-3 guard still manages to slither his way to the left side and score with his left hand.
“Can’t nobody stop him, man,” WSU teammate A.J. McGinnis said of Bell. “Can’t stop him going to the basket.”
When WSU’s offense stalls out, Bell has the kind of tenacious mentality that can make something out of nothing. Even if a defender sells out to prevent him from driving with his left hand, Bell has shown the ability to cross over to his right and finish with his left hand on the other side of the basket.
“He is a really gifted scorer,” Mills said. “He’s just wired to score. He does a really good job of understanding where he needs to be in transition opportunities. And then in the halfcourt, the gaps that are created via the traffic, he does a good job of taking advantage of that stuff.”
It’s also not a coincidence that McGinnis has joined Bell in a recent promotion to WSU’s starting lineup.
Bell needs room to maneuver inside the arc. And because WSU doesn’t pose much of a threat around the 3-point line, McGinnis, who made three 3-pointers Sunday and is shooting 43% beyond the arc this season, has proven invaluable to Bell.
Defenders have stayed attached to McGinnis on the perimeter, which has given Bell more space to do what he does best — attack the basket — even when McGinnis isn’t necessarily knocking down shots.
“Without A.J. in there, I don’t know if that space actually exists,” Mills said. “Now we can play with better force. Philosophically, I think offense is about force and I didn’t think we played with great force (Sunday). So we can play with better force and spacing, but (McGinnis) gives Xavier opportunities and that really helps.”
It’s a pairing that is mutually beneficial to both players, as McGinnis gave credit to Bell for opening things up around the perimeter for him. The fifth-year sharpshooter registered his third double-digit scoring game of the season with 11 points in his second straight start.
“At the end of the day, 3 points are worth more than 2,” Bell said. “Teams that decide to plug the gaps and help off of A.J., that leaves him wide open for 3s, and you see his confidence. He doesn’t care if you’re right there closing out, he’s going to let it fly. More times than not, they’re going to go in. So defenses have to worry about him.”
Mills has repeatedly said Bell’s “care factor” is as high as anyone in the program. Another example the coach gave came in the pre-game scouting session on Friends — an outmatched NAIA opponent, yet one that commanded the same attention to detail from Bell as any other game.
Bell finished one point shy of his career high of 30 points, which he scored for Drexel in a Jan. 17, 2022 game against Hofstra. He also had four rebounds, one steal, one block and five turnovers in 33 minutes.
“They have notebooks whenever we do scouts and they’re over there taking notes and you can see the guys who are over there scribbling,” Mills said. “(Bell) is very engaged. He does a tremendous job.
“I kind of pay attention when the scout is being presented, just how locked in are they. I’m telling you, if you were to come in and just judge guys by watching them, he would stand out.”
It’s how Bell has remained effective despite every opponent knowing exactly what he wants to do every time the ball is in his hands.
“I personally think left hand is the best hand,” Bell said with a laugh. “I’ve always thought that since I was a kid.”
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