Big man on campus

Storm hopes new forward Marcus Bell can solidify interior defence

If the Island Storm is hurting in the paint, then new addition Marcus Bell may be just what the basketball doctor ordered.

Bell, a six-foot-nine, 235pound forward out of Modesto, Calif., arrives today from the Republic Indonesia where the Cal State Stanislaus alum played with a high-level basketball team touring the southeast Asian country.

With a minor illness, Bell isn’t expected to play in tonight’s 7 p.m. National Basketball League of Canada game versus the Cape Breton Highlanders, but Storm head coach Tim Kendrick hopes to have him for Sunday’s 2 p.m. matinee with the Moncton Magic. Both games are the Eastlink Centre.

“(We need him) for rebounding and defence… and shotblocking. Not to say he doesn’t have some offence, he has good low-post game,” said Kendrick.

At Stanislaus, Bell averaged 17.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.22 blocks per game during 32 games in his senior season in 2013-14.

In eight games with Frayles de Guasave of the Mexican league in 2015-16, he averaged 16 points and 10.6 rebounds with a .665 field-goal percentage.

The Storm is looking for help for rookie centre Zach Valliere after losing seven-foot centre Asauhn Dixon-Tatum to the NBA G-League’s Salt Lake City Stars and six-foot-11 centre Nick Evans and the Storm parted ways.

The deficit was on display in the Storm’s 115-83 loss to Moncton Saturday when the Magic out-rebounded the Storm 77-27 overall and 33-7 on the offensive glass.

“To their credit Moncton took advantage of that,” said Kendrick.

Earlier in his career, Bell was a teammate of Storm guard Frank Sessions in the Drew League in Los Angeles.