You wouldn’t think it.
After all the honors and milestones Charlie Bell has helped MSU accomplish in his past four seasons, what’s excited the senior guard most lately has had nothing to do with banners or trophies.
It’s been more about lifetime memories and holding on to them as long as possible.
“I’m just happy to be able to spend another week with these guys,” Bell said, after the Spartan’s 69-62 win over Temple on Sunday to advance them to their third-straight Final Four appearance.
“This is truly the highlight of my career here at MSU. We’ve had a lot of great stories and conversations in practices over the years and it’s going to be sad to see that go when the time comes.”
With a knack for shutting down opponents with stellar defense and an ability to rise over bigger players for clutch rebounds, Bell, a four-year starter, will look to make more history Saturday when the Spartans face Arizona in the national semifinals.
“We are all confident that we can win another championship,” Bell said. “I think that we as a team play best when we know that another team can’t play with us.”
After shooting poorly late in the regular season, Bell, true to his All-American form, has bounced back, averaging 16 points, six rebounds and 3.7 assists in the past three rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“I took a lot of heat when I was struggling,” Bell said, after winning the South Regional’s MVP award Sunday. “There were a lot of people that wrote me off for the rest of the season. I’m just glad that I was able to knock down shots since I really have felt confident the past couple of weeks.”
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Bell has been one of the forefathers in the program’s transition into an elite program, similar to former great Mateen Cleaves.
“A lot of people don’t see how valuable Charlie has been to this team,” Izzo said. “He’s a leader in his own way, one that shows less emotion on the floor than Mateen, but does things behind the scenes to help others. He’s not like Mateen who was so vocal and enthusiastic on the court that there were times I thought he was going to go up in the stands and kiss his mother after a great play in a game.”
Izzo said he’ll never forget when he first heard about Bell, who became an instant high school legend after breaking Flint’s all-time scoring record, formerly held by former Michigan and current New York Knicks guard Glen Rice.
“When I first started looking at him, all I heard about was this high-scoring machine from Flint,” Izzo said. “I thought the first time I saw him that he really took good shots and played under control. He’s really made sacrifices for this team and has really put in the effort to improve his game, especially his shooting and his ability to defend. It’s his versatility that makes him special.”
Senior forward Andre Hutson, who quickly worked his way into the starting five with Bell during their first season, said it’s been a pleasure to play with such a well-rounded teammate and friend.
“We both came into this program with dreams and goals and it’s been a thrill to see them come true and then some,” Hutson said. “It’s been a great time together and I’ve been thrilled to watch him grow as a player and person. Hopefully we’ll have a lot more memories together within this next week.”
