Senior Xavion Bell is moving on. Surrounded by family and friends, Bell signed a letter of intent to continue his education and basketball career at Jessup University. Without a doubt, this is an exciting time for Xavion, and Weston Ranch will celebrate his achievements and accomplishments as a student-athlete.
Jessup is a small private college located in Rocklin, CA. The campus hosts 2400 students, offering 20 degrees and 60 different programs. In addition, Jessup is a growing university that has doubled enrollment over the past seven years and is home to state-of-the-art facilities, including a 1000+ seat gymnasium where Bell will patrol next year as a member of the Warriors basketball program. All of those things attracted Bell and made his decision simple.
“The environment and the campus were peaceful,” Bell said. “They are transitioning from NAIA to Division II, which will be exciting. Also, I like the smaller class sizes because I can personalize my learning and have close relationships with my teachers.
“But the thing that impressed me was the community and commitment of the Jessup staff. I spoke to a lot of people who were former students, and many of them came back to work for Jessup. That fact resonated with me.”
Bell, who currently carries a 3.5 GPA, will enter Jessup as a Criminal Justice major, pursue a Business Administration minor, and hopes to join the FBI upon graduation.
“Getting a chance to move on means a lot to me,” Bell said. “It’s been a long journey, but my last two years at Weston Ranch helped me evolve as a basketball player, teammate, and person. My teammates were super supportive of me, and I learned much from each of them.”
Bell’s most significant contributions to the Cougars over the past two years have been defense and leadership. The senior was routinely called upon to lead the pressure and to defend the opponent’s best ball handler. Although he was not very vocal, Bell’s demeanor and basketball IQ contributed to his reliability as the team’s on-floor leader.
“He doesn’t have numbers that show up on the stat sheet, but he was so productive on the defensive side of the ball for us all year,” said head coach Nicholas Podesta. “It takes a special player to dominate a game without recording a field goal, as he did a few times this year. But his elite defensive performances made him one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the Section.”
Xavion ended his high school career as the third all-time leader in steals with 167 steals and is fifth on the all-time career assists leaderboard with 200.
Podesta added, “I’m very proud of Xavion and excited for him and his family. He’s worked hard to get to this point and to put himself in this position. It’s always hard when players graduate and leave your program, but seeing your student-athletes achieve their goals and move on to the next level is exciting. It’s been an absolute honor and a privilege to coach Xavion. He’s been a big part of our program these last two seasons and will be missed. It’s a very exciting time for the student-athletes at Jessup University as they transition to NCAA Division II, so I’m excited for Xavion that he will be a part of that experience.”
