Former Bloomington Kennedy Standout Joins Gophers

MINNEAPOLIS (Gophersports.com) – University of Minnesota head women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings today announced that former Bloomington Kennedy star point guard Kenisha Bell will return home to Minneapolis, to play for the Golden Gophers beginning this season.

Bell, a transfer from Marquette University, will begin practicing with the Gophers this summer, but must sit out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules. She will be eligible to play for the 2016-17 season and will have three years of remaining eligibility.

“Kenisha is a household name in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. We are ecstatic about her returning home to play at the U,” Stollings said. “Her style of play epitomizes what we seek in our up-tempo system. She has a skill set that allows her to score in a multitude of ways, and her uncanny ability to find the open player will keep opponents’ defenses on alert. Our fans will be in for a treat when she steps on the court in 2016. We are elated to have another high-caliber, in-state student-athlete become a Gopher.”

Bell has already made a name for herself in the Twin Cities as an elite basketball player, as she earned all-state first team accolades from the Associated Press and Star Tribune All-Metro First Team honors after leading the Eagles to a state championship appearance in 2014 at Williams Arena. She averaged 20.5 points per game against the best players in the Twin Cities night-in and night-out in her final season at Kennedy.

Following her prep career, in which she led the Eagles to two state championship appearances under head coaches Percy Wade and Quintin Johnson, Bell was ranked as the No. 25 point guard nationally by espnW HoopGurlz.

“When I found out about Coach Marlene and her staff getting hired at the U, I looked up their credentials and decided to take a visit,” Bell said. “I had a great time and bonded with the coaches. They know what it takes to win and have the resources to help me get to where I need to be. When it came time to make a decision, I thought about the support system I have in the area, the coaching staff and, of course, the academics and they all fit my standards, as well as those of my parents. I decided that going back to where I first started hooping could be a good fit for me.”

The point guard played one season at Marquette in 2014-15, where she started 28 games and was the team’s second-leading scorer with a program rookie record 14.5 points per game. Bell also set Marquette freshman records in total points (434), field goals (157) and free throws (111), while her 59 steals ranked fourth all-time for a Golden Eagles rookie. She was a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team and earned the league’s freshman of the week award four times throughout the year. She scored in double figures 25 times, which included a career-best 25 points against Northern Kentucky.

Bell was a standout player on the national AAU circuit for North Tartan Nike Elite coached by Gerard Coury, joining Rachel Banham, Mikayla Bailey, Shayne Mullaney and Joanna Hedstrom as alumni of the program.