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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Bell Voted A-Sun's Best
10/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 26, 2004
BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University's Mike Bell has been named the Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player-of-the-Year, announced the conference office Tuesday morning. The honor is voted on by the A-Sun's 11 head coaches. Bell becomes the first player in FAU history to receive the honor. In addition, the coaches picked the Owls to finish tied for fifth.
In his first season with the Owls in 2003-04, Bell led FAU with 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He ranked third in the conference in points per game and first in rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures 24 times as a junior and posted 11 double-doubles. Bell also set FAU records for rebounds per game (9.7) and rebounds in a game (23). He is the A-Sun's top returning scorer and rebounder.
Bell will be a senior in 2004-05. The 6-9, 210 forward is a native of Raleigh, NC. He transferred to FAU prior to last year after playing one season at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, FL. He began is collegiate career at North Carolina State.
Bell is joined on the Preseason All-Conference Team by Brian Collins (Belmont, Jr, G), E.J. Gordon (Stetson, Jr, G), Haminn Quaintance (Jacksonville, So, F), and Kevin Thomas (Georgia State, Sr, G).
In the coaches poll, FAU received one first-place vote and 74 points to finish tied with Belmont for fifth-place. Georgia State topped the list with 104 points and six first-place votes. Stetson was second with 103 points and four first-place votes. UCF came in third while Troy was fourth. In the media poll, FAU was picked sixth but did garner three first-place votes. UCF topped the media poll, followed by GSU, Troy, Stetson, and Belmont.
Troy was last year's regular season champion but was defeated by UCF in the A-Sun Tournament championship game.
Florida Atlantic, which won the A-Sun Tournament in 2002, begins its regular season November 19 at Florida International. The Owls will host two exhibition games prior to that. They face Barry on November 6 and Florida Tech on November 11.
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