Troy Bell returns to his roots, takes over Holy Angels boys basketball program

Troy Bell remains in the record books at Holy Angels. Soon he'll be in the hallways there, too.

Bell, who left school in 1999 as the Stars' all-time scoring leader in boys basketball and became a collegiate All-America and well-traveled pro, is returning to his high school alma mater to lead the boys basketball program. Holy Angels announced his hiring Friday in an email.

"We are thrilled to welcome Troy back on campus where his legendary basketball career began," activities director Carolyn Arnebeck said. "I'm excited to see where he can take the Stars boys basketball program. Troy has an elite knowledge of the game and brings a contagious and unparalleled level of energy and enthusiasm in all that he does. I know the student-athletes, assistant coaches and our entire athletic program will benefit from Troy's leadership."

Bell's chops are well-established. He averaged 35.9 points his senior year, the 1998-99 season, and led the state in scoring. He finished with 2,491 points in 97 high school games and ranks fourth on the state's career scoring list. He moved on to Boston College, where he was twice Big East Conference Player of the Year and set the school's career scoring record of 2,632 points. He made the Associated Press All-America second team in 2001 and 2003.

Bell was the 16th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft but played in only six NBA games, for Memphis, in his career. International play ensued, in Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey and Argentina, and he also spent time in the NBA G League.

Now his travels have led him home.

"Holy Angels holds a special place in my heart," he said in the statement. "Together, I believe we can build something that we can all be very proud of."