Boston College Athletics
Bell, Smith Receive BIG EAST Honors
February 03, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2003
Boston College senior guard Troy Bell earned BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week honors and freshman teammate Craig Smith captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors, according to an announcement made by the league office.
Both players were honored for their play in the team's victories over Virginia Tech (Jan. 29) and Connecticut (Feb. 1). Bell shared the award with Notre Dame senior guard Matt Carroll.
The honor marks the fourth time this season that Smith has been recognized as the league's rookie of the week. For Bell, the honor marks the second time this season he has been so honored. The senior guard has earned BIG EAST player of the week honors seven times in his career, the most of any active player.
Bell gained the honor after averaging 26.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in the Eagles' victories over Virginia Tech and Connecticut. He shot 8-for-13 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range in each of the two games. He shot 7-for-7 from the line at Virginia Tech to finish with 27 points, and he shot 6-for-7 from the line at Connecticut to finish with 26 points. Bell played a season-low 30 minutes in the win at Connecticut.
Bell leads the BIG EAST Conference in scoring, averaging 23.8 points per game. He needs just 62 points to tie Dana Barros '89 as Boston College's career scoring leader. Bell enters Wednesday night's game against St. John's with 2,280 points. Barros finished his career with 2,342 points.
Smith averaged 22.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the two wins. He shot 63.3 percent (19-for-30) from the field. He scored 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field at Virginia Tech, then notched 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the field at Connecticut. Smith grabbed five rebounds in each game.
Smith currently ranks fourth on the BIG EAST scoring list, averaging 21.7 points per game. He leads the league in field goal percentage (.627). Smith has scored 20 or more points in 12 games this season, including 11 of the last 12.
Boston College (10-8, 3-4 BIG EAST) returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 5 against St. John's. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Conte Forum.
