Hall of Fame
Carl Bell came to the Abbey in the fall of 1971 from Reidsville, North Carolina and left four years later as the men’s basketball all-time leading scorer with 2,201 career points and 1,030 rebounds. Bell became the first player in school history to eclipse the 2,000 point plateau and did so without the benefit of the three-point shot. Over the course of his four years at the Abbey, he led the Crusaders to four straight .500 or better seasons and led his team in scoring. He was also the top rebounder for the first two years of his career and was the second highest rebounder for his last two years. Bell averaged 19.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He played 113 total games over four years and never missed a practice or a game due to illness or injury. He was named men’s basketball MVP for all four years; named twice to the NAIA all-district 26-team and was an honorable mention All-American his sophomore and senior years. Bell set the College’s all-time single season scoring mark with 592 points as a senior, breaking his own record, which he set the year before.
