FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 7, 2022) – Gary Bell Jr., a standout at Gonzaga during his playing career, was announced as an assistant coach by Northern Arizona head men's basketball coach
Shane Burcar on Wednesday.
"Coach Bell brings that winning edge that every program wants," Burcar said. "He started for four years at Gonzaga, played professionally and he has the credibility from Coach Mark Few and Coach Tommy Lloyd. He has recommendations from two National Coach of the Years who coached two No. 1 seeds in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. I can already tell that he's going to be a great fit with us and he opens up recruiting ties in the West Coast."
Bell will work with the Lumberjack guards and the team's offense.
Bell recently spent the 2021-22 season at his alma mater as the Bulldogs' Coordinator of Basketball Administration, on Mark Few's staff that led Gonzaga to the Sweet 16. Prior to that role, Bell served as a graduate assistant at Gonzaga for two seasons.
"I'm extremely excited to be here at NAU," Bell said. "The culture that (Coach Burcar) is trying to build here is where I came from; the family atmosphere and being a hard worker to get better every day."
As a player at Gonzaga from 2011-15, Bell appeared in 135 games and started 124. Known for his three-point shooting and lockdown defense, Bell was a 41 percent career shooter from behind the arc and was voted the West Coast Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 during Gonzaga's run to the Elite Eight.
He finished his career 22nd all-time in Gonzaga's decorated history in scoring with 1,291 points and still ranks in the top 30. His 135 games played were sixth-most and his 116 wins were second-most at the time. From distance, Bell's 219 three-pointers made were seventh-most at the time his career concluded.
In 10 career NCAA Tournament games, that still ranks in the top 10 by a Bulldog player all-time, Bell averaged 9.9 points per game and shot 48 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from behind the arc.
Bell was voted to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2012 and garnered two postseason all-conference awards capped by a nod on the All-WCC Second Team in his final season.
"Playing for (Coach Few) for four years, leaving and then coming back to start my coaching career, I learned a lot from those guys," Bell said. "Picking their brain everyday prepared me for this task at NAU."
Following his career at Gonzaga, Bell played professionally in Poland, France and Greece before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant ahead of the 2019-20 season.
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