Welcome to our 2011 Villanova basketball season preview. We're going to be previewing a player per day from here on out - which will take us right up to the first exhibition game against New York Tech. Today, we preview sophomore James Bell.

While rising sophomore James Bell did not play much during his freshman year, he did show those microscopic glimpses of why the school is so high on him late in the season.  Stress fractures in the tibia bones of both his legs sidelined him for all of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season.  

One can make the argument that while he was available for selection after the first five games, he was not physically or (more importantly) mentally ready to contribute to the team. Once inserted and given an opportunity though, he stepped up. Just look at his play in the Seton Hall game and you can see the combination of leaping ability and shooting touch that made him a member of the U19 USA team in Latvia this past summer and a highly regarded recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida.

While only just a sophomore, Bell finds himself as one of the veterans of this year's team since 5 new players will be introduced when the season kicks off. Bell may find himself a spot in the starting lineup for a multitude of reasons (strong defense, ability to hit the 3) but the biggest of all may be necessity. We'll need him to (maybe unfairly) have a strong year to navigate the treacherous waters of the Big East.

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