Bell leads Newman women’s basketball through special season
Jaime Green’s screen-saver on her computer has been the same for two years now.
It depicts the coach, then at Labette Community College, snipping a piece of the net down after winning the Jayhawk Conference in 2010. It’s still Green’s favorite picture because it captures Satoria Bell, the team’s baby-faced, corn-rowed star, in a jubilant state.
She’s had little reason to change it. Green took over the Newman women’s basketball program and Bell followed. The sequel has been a success, as Bell has averaged more than 23 points and helped the Jets wrap up the Heartland Conference championship Thursday with a 100-48 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State at Fugate Gymnasium.
“Now I look at her out there and I see a grown woman,” Green said. “I’m just so thrilled it worked out like this.”
Rarely have things gone according to the original script in Bell’s life. She has played for four colleges in four years, but this season Bell has found a fit in Newman.
“If anything, I felt like I owed it to (Green) to come back and play for her,” Bell said of her decision after transferring from Temple. “Everybody hopes they can go play Division-I basketball and go to the NCAA Tournament and play on TV and everything. But at the end of the day, it’s all about being happy.”
The game at the Division-II level comes effortlessly to Bell. On Thursday, it looked to be almost boring. But Bell is deceiving. She’s always thinking one pass ahead of her opponent, and sometimes even her own team.
“Satoria Bell’s basketball IQ is off the charts,” Green said. “We call her the baby genius. She is so quiet, but her game is so loud. Her presence looks like it’s quiet and finesse, but it’s an exclamation point for us.”
It didn’t come from years of playing basketball. Bell, from Philadelphia, excelled in her youth at football. She gained notoriety as a female that scored 43 touchdowns in three years in Pop Warner.
But when she entered high school, her mom told her football wasn’t an option. That left basketball. She joined a summer team and in her first season playing the sport set sat behind future Division-I players Markel Walker (UCLA), Khadijah Rushdan (Rutgers) and Keisha Hampton (DePaul).
“I sat on the bench a lot,” Bell said. “But you learn a lot from watching players that are better than you. There’s a point where you start to see things they don’t see. I just learned to be patient and take my time.”
Bell’s time to stand out has come. The 5-foot-10 guard leads Newman in scoring, field goals, threes and free throws made, and also the most steals and blocks. She has won nine of the 13 player of the week awards from the Heartland Conference.
With aspirations of playing in the WNBA, Bell second-guessed her decision to not play Division-I. But those doubts are being put to rest with the success of this season.
“I was so worried about maybe coaches at the next level not being able to see me and I would fall under the radar,” Bell said. “But I felt like if I put my team in a position to make them better and we win, maybe I’ll still get the recognition I feel like I deserve. I figure I’m going to get there some way, somehow.”
During the senior night recognition, it was Green who accompanied Bell in the ceremony. The two have forged a special relationship, one that Green hopes might give her a new screen-saver.
“Satoria has done so much for me than I could ever do for her,” Green said. “I still remember the first time I ever met Satoria, she gave me a hug around my neck. And I think the sweetest thing for me is I know when she leaves this program, she’s going to leave with a hug around my neck.”
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE STATE (5-20): Dishmon 2-11 1-2 6, Buhl 3-4 1-2 7, McDonald 0-8 0-0 0, Thomas 1-7 0-0 2, Garcia 5-14 0-0 13, Munson 0-0 0-0 0, T. Kent 1-4 0-0 3, Marion 1-4 2-3 4, Quinonez 1-2 0-0 2, Gonzalez 0-2 0-2 0, Washington 3-10 0-0 7, Taylor 0-2 0-0 0, Mathis 0-0 0-0 0, M. Kent 1-5 2-5 4. Totals 18-73 6-14 48.
NEWMAN (21-5): Cannon 5-9 1-2 11, Key 7-9 0-0 14, McGhee 6-10 0-0 12, Bell 6-7 5-6 17, Voronenko 7-9 1-3 15, Sonka 2-3 0-0 4, FLannagan 5-11 0-0 11, Medema 0-0 1-2 1, Soyez 4-9 3-3 11, Muhammad 2-3 0-1 4. Totals 44-70 11-17 100.
Halftime— NU 54, OPSU 31. 3 pt. shooting— OPSU 6-36 (Garcia 3-8, Dishmon 1-4, T. Kent 1-4, Washington 1-4, Marion 0-1, Quinonez 0-1, Taylor 0-2, Thomas 0-4, McDonald 0-6); NU 1-6 (Flannagan 1-3, Bell 0-1, Voronenko 0-1, Soyez 0-1). Rebounds— OPSU 41 (Dishmon, M. Kent 7); NU 49 (Cannon 11). Assists— OPSU 2 (Garcia, Washington 1); NU 31 (Cannon 8). Fouls— OPSU 13, NU 14. A— 497.
This story was originally published February 23, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Bell leads Newman women’s basketball through special season."