SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Chad Bell & Jamaal Williams Both
Sign With New Mexico--(Nov. 9, 2000)

More signing news:  Continuing the trend of bringing in players from SoCal, New Mexico Lobo head coach Fran Fraschilla and his key assistants, Joe Dooley, Darren Savino, and Travis Lyons, have secured signed National Letters of Intent today from Westchester's Chad Bell (6'-11" Sr. C) and Corona Centennial's Jamaal Williams (6'-5" Sr. F).  Both committed a few weeks ago (well, Jamaal actually just committed within the past week after taking a visit to Albuquerque), and these are excellent pickups for the Lobos, and they will join other SoCal players in "The Pit" including Ruben Douglas (6'-4 So. G) from Burbank Bell-Jeff, who transferred last year from Arizona, and Marlon Parmer (6'-2" So. PG) from Los Angeles Verbum Dei.  Here's the official press release.   Congratulations to the Lobos on the signings and to Chad and Jamal.

Men's Basketball Signs Two

ALBUQUERQUE (Nov. 9) -- University of New Mexico head men's basketball coach Fran Fraschilla has announced the signing of two high school student-athletes to a national letter of intent. Both student-athletes will begin their eligibility at UNM in the fall of 2001. 

Chad Bell * Post * 6-11 * 230 * Inglewood, Calif. (Westchester HS) Bell could be the tallest player on the 2001-02 Lobo team...a qualifier who was a member of the school's Honor Roll last fall and the Principal's List during the 2000 spring semester when he posted a 3.5 GPA...all-league and honorable mention all-city selection as a junior when he averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks for head coach Ed Azzam...Westchester was 24-7 last year, winning the city championship...Bell played his freshman season at Fullerton High School, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds for the varsity...PERSONAL...born Oct. 18, 1982, in Los Angeles...age is 18...son of Peggy Bell...mom is a sergeant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department...Chad's great uncle is Hall of Fame baseball player James Cool Papa Bell...Cool Papa was a switch-hitting center fielder for the St. Louis Stars, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Homestead Grays and the Kansas City Stars of the Negro League from 1922-50...Chad is undecided about a major, but he is interested in business or communications. 

Jamaal Williams * Forward * 6-6 * 230 * Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS) Forward who is ranked the 61st-best high school player in the nation by PrepStars Report...a qualifier who has been on the Honor Roll the past three years...has a cumulative GPA of 3.20...averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds a game last season, earning all-county and all-CIF honors...league MVP as a sophomore and junior...already Centennial's career scoring and career rebound leader...played for coach Val Popov...averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds as a freshman and 23 points and 12 boards as a sophomore...Williams and fellow Lobo signee Chad Bell played on the same AAU team during the seventh and eighth grade... PERSONAL...born Jan. 19, 1983, in Compton, Calif...age is 17...full name is Jamaal Allen Williams...son of James and Natasha...father is a computer network analyst at Loma Linda University, while mom is a vice-president at a bank...Jamaal is interested in business when he gets to UNM. 

University of New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla on the signees: 

"Chad Bell is a player we have watched develop since his sophomore year. He has a great work ethic and is well-coached in his high school program. He has the size and agility to develop into an excellent college player. The icing on the cake is that Chad is an outstanding young man." 

"Jamaal is a multitalented player. He has the size and strength of an inside player, but he also possesses the quickness and athleticism of a perimeter player. He has great court awareness and a solid work ethic. Jamaal is also a super young man who comes from an outstanding family." 

"Both Chad and Jamaal are important pieces to a puzzle in which we are trying to build on the great tradition of Lobo basketball. We have high expectations for both of them."

 
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