For a moment in time, the swish of the ball piercing through the net and the squeak of his shoes overlaps one another—suddenly, the hooper lands, and cheers erupt from his teammates and the sidelines. As the star player for Brahmas basketball, senior Malcolm Bell continues to attract numerous achievements to his name.
Being a popular activity to play with friends, basketball made its way into Bell’s life at the young age of eight. He continued playing recreationally due to his growing interest in the sport, and he ultimately decided to participate in athletics for Diamond Bar High School.
“The thing I love the most about [basketball] is definitely the friendships I’m able to make with people through that ball,” Bell said via Instagram. “Especially at Diamond Bar, it’s like we’re all family on and off the court.”
Seeking to increase his playing time and further develop his skill to play professionally, Bell joined the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)—an organization founded to aid youths in preparing themselves to get ahead in sports via extracurricular team play, practice and tournaments.
Presently, he plays for both DBHS and his AAU team—Prodigy Elite—with his coach Cam Murray, who has connections to many college coaches and other significant people in the basketball field including current NBA players.
“I definitely wouldn’t be so successful if it wasn’t for him,” Bell said. “Playing basketball has also allowed me to meet so many people and make relationships with people that I truly think will last years from now.”
In his free time, Bell often goes to D3 Performance: The Shot Lab—a basketball training venue in Chino, complete with full-size courts and skilled instructors—accompanied by DBHS’ freshman coach Michael Clue and sometimes the assistant boys basketball coach Eric Ingram.
“Every time I step on the court, I come with a mindset that I’m always the best guy in the gym. When you’re constantly telling yourself that, it starts to show when playing,” Bell said. “If basketball is something you really love, then you have to love the process you put yourself through to get to where you want to be. Just put your head down and just keep working.”
As a result of his persistent training, experience and results, numerous colleges have shown interest in Bell, including California State University of Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona and Chico State. Last year, he also led the Brahmas in their qualification to the CIF tournament.
“[Basketball] has taught me maturity and patience, and it’s definitely shown that the work you put in will always show, especially in big moments in big games,” Bell said. “I haven’t decided at what school I should continue my career at, but my future plans as of right now are to play college basketball and to basically play as long as I can.”