UNCW alumna Chinyere Bell brings her basketball passion to Laney girls program
Chinyere Bell’s on-court basketball career may have ended after she graduated from UNCW in 2020, but she hasn't stepped away from the game.
The new girls basketball coach at Laney High School spent a season at George Masson University before transferring to play for the Seahawks. A nagging Achilles' tendon injury showed Bell that her time on the court wouldn’t progress past the collegiate level.
“I miss basketball so much. If I didn’t get hurt, I would definitely be playing in someone’s league right now,” she said.
Before transferring to UNCW, Bell wasn’t sure where she would play college ball. A disagreement with her coaches at George Mason made her feel like she couldn’t remain on the team any longer. However, with no other schools offering her a scholarship, she had to set out on her own path to find her next landing spot.
“I emailed every division one school in America. I literally looked up Division I schools in America and found coaches and emailed them for like a week straight,” she said.
This determination led her to play in 63 games and score 434 points in her three-season stint at UNCW.
Now 25, the Fayetteville native is preparing for her first season as a coach for Laney, something which nearly never happened.
After graduation, Bell moved back home to Fayetteville with plans to coach at her former high school, South View. Then she received a call from Laney athletic director Fred Lynch, informing her that the school wanted to hire her for the head coaching role she had interviewed for a few months prior.
“I was looking for an apartment in Fayetteville for like a week. Laney called me [before I signed a lease] and told me I was hired," she said. "My dad reminded me that everything happens for a reason.”
Fate would lead her to Laney, but it isn't a place that she is unfamiliar with. As a child, Bell says she admired the school, often wishing she could play for the Bucs despite living over two hours away.
With her focus entirely on Laney, Bell is now tasked with guiding a young group of players. The Bucs return only two starters, but she is confident that the team will succeed.
“A lot of people probably think we’re going to be at the bottom this year because we lost a lot of girls. I see the pieces, and I really believe that we are going to shock a lot of people,” she said.
Laney finished 15-9 last season, falling in a first-round playoff game by just two points. Bell says that if the team wants to turn things around, they have to become a more balanced and disciplined group.
“Do y’all think Hoggard is doing this?” she asked her team during a recent practice after a busted play. “The only difference between them and us is they are more locked in.”
Bell is sure that her team will come to the court with a fighting spirit this winter, reassuring her players and fans alike that there is little room for timidness. Instead, it will be full speed ahead for the lady Buccaneers in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: UNCW graduate Chinyere Bell ready to improve Laney girls basketball
