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Hometown: Orlando, FL
High School: Monteverde Academy
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 220
2012-13 Stat Line
| MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | RPG | APG | BPG | SPG | PF | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.5 | 97 | 242 | 40.1% | 56 | 154 | 36.4% | 42 | 57 | 73.7% | 4.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 8.6 |
Career
| Year | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | RPG | APG | BPG | STL | PF | TO | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 28.5 | 97 | 242 | 40.1% | 56 | 154 | 36.4% | 42 | 57 | 73.7% | 4.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 8.6 |
| 2011 | 23.0 |
68 | 173 | 29.3% | 39 | 108 | 36.1% | 27 | 34 | 79.4% | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 7.0 |
| 2010 | 9.1 |
20 | 48 | 41.7% | 10 | 31 | 32.3% | 11 | 14 | 78.6% | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
James Bell enters his final season as one of two seniors on the Villanova team, with Tony Chennault being the other. Bell has been somewhat of an enigma throughout his Villanova career, with his ceiling seemingly higher than the production he has been able to give on the court.
Upon closer examination, however, a look at Bell's career arc shows a player who has steadily improved his production over his first three years, with last year resulting in new career highs across the board, except for an elevated turnovers average.
Known as Villanova's "glue guy" for his superior defensive ability and his knack for hitting the big shot, Bell has been hailed by Jay Wright in the offseason as a player to watch in 2013. The limited scrimmages over last weekend seemed to warrant those claims, with Bell standing out on both Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Because he's a senior, and one of the best defenders and shooters on the team, Bell should see plenty of minutes for 'Nova this season.
Best Case Scenario: Bell's consistent improvement shooting the ball from the outside continues, and he closes in on 40% from beyond the arc, giving Villanova the reliable shooter to stretch the defense that it so desperately needs. His defensive ability allows him to shut down the conference's best offensive players and he's the leader of Villanova's stellar D.
Worst Case Scenario: Bell's offense is limiting to the occasional shot from the outside as he struggles to find his mid-range game. The shooting numbers go down, and Bell's defense isn't enough to warrant his high minutes ahead of more productive younger players Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart, leading to dissent from the fanbase.
The Wisdom of Crowds Returns
We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2013-2014 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points raised in our player preview and your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.
What do you think the upcoming season holds for Tahj? Use the voting buttons below to predict the points per game you think he will score this year. We'd love to understand your thinking, so try to post a comment to tell us how you arrived at your prediction.