Randy rings the Bell on Giants’ signing spree

The Kalgoorlie Boulder Basketball Association and Northern Star Resources Goldfields Giants have launched their 2024 season signing spree with the announcement American guard Randy Bell will join the club in the new year. 

Standing at 193cm, the 25-year-old will join the Giants ahead of the NBL1 West 2024 season after finishing up two seasons with Bumi Borneo in the Indonesian Basketball League. 

Hailing from Sicklerville, New Jersey, Bell began his college basketball career at Holy Family University before transferring to NCAA division two school Lynn University, and completing his final years at Dalton State College. 

In his senior year at Dalton, Bell’s team won the 2019-2020 NAIA conference title and Bell was named first team All-American conference player of the year – he and his teammates were headed to the national tournament but COVID-19 dashed their dreams. 

Following a period of down time on account of the pandemic, Bell found himself playing in El Salvador for a season before being drafted 27th pick to Bumi Borneo in the Indonesian Basketball League. 

Head Coach Matt Van Pelt said Bell’s versatility, personality and ability to put a team on his back when needed stood him apart from the rest. 

“First thing I like about him is his personality – I was looking at a couple other guard options, some higher profile guys – a guy who played at LSU, a guy who played at Missouri, and a guy who scored 26 points against Kentucky, which is maybe the best college basketball program in the nation – but Randy Bell is kind of an underdog story, being that he's a small college guy,” he said. 

“He played NCAA division two and then he played NAIA, similar to myself back in my playing days, so I can really resonate with his personality.  

“He's got a lot of chip-iness, a lot of dog in him, he wants to prove people wrong – he plays with a chip on his shoulder as he comes from that small college background from the US. 

“He was conference player of the year in NAIA so I also like that he's able to be the man on a team so to speak.  

“He didn't just play a role, he really had to carry his college team offensively and he can do that – he can score at many different levels, he's very versatile, he can shoot the three off the dribble, he's got a good mid-range game and he can really get to the basket.  

“He's really a downhill threat and he is best in transition, which I like about him because I do like to play fast and he kind of fits that. 

“Also he's six foot four, so he's versatile, he can score in the post, he can score off the dribble, and he can rebound.  

“Defensively, he can also switch out and guard big guys and get a couple of possessions so I think he's a guy defensively that with his size can help guard multiple positions – all that makes him very versatile.” 

Van Pelt said Bell’s underdog mentality made him a good fit for this season’s recruitment. 

“Randy, he's a blue-collar guy, he's a worker,” he said. 

“He just played in Indonesia, a league that I also played in back in the day, and they have a rule that only one import can play on the court at a time. 

“Given that, he only played 23 minutes a game last season and he averaged 20 points so he's almost putting up a point per minute.” 

On his signing, Bell said he had always wanted to play in Australia, and he felt like the time was right to make his NBL1 debut. 

“I'm open to a lot of things in the basketball world – I love to travel, I love playing in different countries and learning different cultures, so NBL1 was definitely on my list,” he said. 

Bell described his style of play as “electric”, saying he is loud and interactive but a serious competitor when he needs to be. 

“I feel like I get the juice on the team going – I'm loud in practice and I'm very interactive, maybe I'm too loud sometimes on the court and off the court but that's just who I am,” he said. 

“When you get to know me, you'll see I'm always playing around but I'm serious when I need to be. 

“I love to study the game and push my teammates, and I think that's another good trait of mine that I go into practice and I compete. 

"I bring an edginess to any team I play on – I'm very confident in what I do and I like to instil that in my teammates. 

“When we get on the court, we could be best friends, but if we're playing against each other, we're total enemies.  

“When I get to Goldfields, they’ll see that I might play a lot but when I'm on the court, I'm very direct and I want to win. 

Looking ahead to the season, Bell said he plans to be the best he can be and put his stamp on the league. 

“My goal is always to be the best – my goal is always going to be high, I want to win the championship and I know everyone says it and it doesn't happen overnight but day by day, even if we start off bad, let's end well or if we start good, let's take the whole season and keep going,” he said. 

“My goal is just for my team to flourish, control what we can control and get better every day.” 

In his second season with Bumi Borneo, Bell averaged 23 minutes per game, 20 points per game shooting 45 per cent from the field, 5.9 defensive rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. 

Bell – who is currently back home with his father Randy Sr, mother Ebony, and three brothers Marquise, E'Brandi and Hunter – is set to join the Giants in early March.