[mtn mafia]

How do you think they will be this year? Still have lefevers, lee back... also they have the patterson kid and cox which are 2 very good ball players just gotta see how they will step it up this year!

[Mountain]

They will be a top 3 team in the region next year. I believe this is the most open the 13th region has been in the past 10 years. I just do not see that much difference in the talent pool when you look at the top 7 teams.

[HDE]

Bell could be a top three team eventually, but they looked a step below South Laurel in the scrimmage I saw this summer. They are also a little behind Harlan County and Clay County and probably KC and Barbourville, too. They aren't as deep as some of the other teams because after the three seniors they dropped to sophomores. It's a good sophomore group though and they'll get better.

[Bobcat_Dad]

Bell never looks good during the summer. Not sure if they won a game last year during the summer. By January they will be right there with the other top teams.

[HDE]

Bell never looks good during the summer. Not sure if they won a game last year during the summer. By January they will be right there with the other top teams.

I've seen Bell every summer for the last 20 years or so, including several scrimmages at the AAU tourney. They usually have one of the best teams in the summer and then one of the best teams during the season. That's the way it works for everyone.

[Basketball Coach]

i think it will be fun to watch hard to say who will do what but go but clay....

[Bell Co. 21]

I've seen Bell every summer for the last 20 years or so, including several scrimmages at the AAU tourney. They usually have one of the best teams in the summer and then one of the best teams during the season. That's the way it works for everyone.

Don't get me wrong summer ball is a great thing. Especially for younger guys to get a little varsity experience and individual development. On the same note out of those 20 years of watching summer ball 0 of them mattered and probably were rarely an indicator of the season they were going to have.

[HDE]

People like to say summer basketball means nothing, as if teams magically transform themselves in October. Unless you're Cordia and get an entirely new team between June and November, the chances are pretty good that if you are a good team in the summer you'll be good in the winter.
Bell was an average team this summer, not as good as last year, or last summer, but they are playing a lot of sophomores, so the odds are pretty good that they will improve. They have a shot to win the region again because there are no dominant teams, but they don't look like they'll be as good to me because replacing Ben Madon is going to be very difficult. If the shots aren't falling for Lee, they could struggle to score because Madon isn't there with his ability to create shots and get to the basket.