It didn’t take going to an Oklahoma City-Utah Jazz NBA playoff game to convince John Bapst High School of Bangor basketball standout Crystal Bell to verbally commit to attend Oklahoma Christian University in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma — 14 miles away.
But it didn’t hurt.
“It was an amazing atmosphere,” said Bell, who observed there is no shortage of Thunder fans wearing Russell Westbrook jerseys. Westbrook is a perennial NBA All-Star.
The 5-foot-7 Bell, a career 1,000-point scorer at John Bapst, will be on a full academic scholarship at the NCAA Division II institution, which plays in the Heartland Conference.
She averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Crusaders last season and was a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl honorable mention two years ago.
Oklahoma Christian University went 10-18 last season, 5-9 in the conference.
“It was a pretty tough decision,” said Bell. “I applied to 15 schools. But when I visited Oklahoma Christian, I loved it. It felt like the best place for me.
“Everybody was so welcoming. They were so helpful and nice,” Bell added.
Bell intends to major in finance and said it will provide her with an excellent education.
“I was focused on my academics but I am so excited about getting an opportunity to play. Hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute to the team and help make it better,” said the Holden native, who is also looking forward to playing for head coach Stephanie Findley.
“I connected with her right away. She’s very nice. It felt right,” said Bell, who can score from anywhere and has good rebounding instincts.
The Eagles have been a competitive team and play an up-and-down style, Bell said.
Bell, who also plays tennis at John Bapst, feels she needs to develop all aspects of her game as she prepares to make the jump to college basketball.
“I’ve got to improve my skill … my shooting, ball-handling, decision-making,” said Bell, who also wants to get stronger physically.
Bell’s only regret from her time at John Bapst is that the Crusaders didn’t go further in the Class B North tournament, although they did reach the semifinals last season.
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