Prospect Spotlight: Adam Bell (2018)
In the easternmost reaches of the CIF Southern Section, Twentynine Palms has become a powerhouse program in the Mojave Desert.
Adam Bell has been central to the program’s rise.
Bell, a 6-5 forward, helped the program win the CIF-SS 3A title in March in a thriller over St. Paul. He scored 17 points in that game.
This year, he, his twin brother Abraham and D’Shaun Barrett – the 3A Player of the Year – are looking to repeat as champions.
And if Bell’s performance Sept. 17 at the inaugural Prep Hoops So-Cal 250 Expo is any indication, he’s taken his game to another level in the effort to repeat.
“I wanted to showcase that we got kids in Twentynine Palms can actually play basketball and we can compete against these players from bigger schools,” Bell said after the showcase. “I wanted to show them that we’re just not a school in the desert.”
During the spring and summer grassroots season, Bell, who played for Team Eleate, was best known for his nonstop motor, aggressiveness on the offensive glass and his stellar on-ball defense.
Bell showed off a vastly improved perimeter attack at the Expo, knocking down four threes in one game, and two in another. He looks much more comfortable driving off of pump fakes, and scored at the rim through contact.
Defensively, Bell has all the markings of a lockdown defender who can guard every position in high school. He has active hands, quick feet and an aggressive mentality on the ball. He uses his strength and leverage to frustrate bigger defenders in the post.
At the very least, Division II schools looking for a “three-and-d” wing should be taking the trip the the desert to watch his workouts.
Bell said he spent the off season working on evolving his game.
Adam Bell looks to attract college interest and win another CIF Section title his final year at Twentynine Palms“I’ve just been working with my coaches at school, and my club coaches,” said Bell, who played for Team Eleate this spring and summer. “I feel like I am getting better.”
As for this season, Bell said, it’s CIF or bust for the Wildcats, this time in Division 3AA.
“We’re going to win another one, that is the goal,” Bell said.