On Saturday, January 25th, Boston College (BC) retired the basketball jersey of Troy Bell of AHA's class of 1999. Bell played at BC from 1999 to 2003 where he was a two-time All-American guard. He is the school's all-time leading scorer and is the second all-time leading scorer in the Big East Conference.
Prior to Boston College, Bell attended Academy of Holy Angels from 1995 to 1999. He remains AHA's all-time leading scorer as well, with over 2,000 points, and his retired Stars jersey hangs in the school's lobby.
Gary Rufsvold, Bell's high school coach and former AHA athletic director, flew to the Boston College ceremony and said, "It was a great honor to be on the court when Troy's number was retired at Boston College." Reflecting upon Troy's basketball career, Rufsvold continued, "At that time, I realized quickly that you only get one player like Troy during a coaching career, and I tried to make the most of the great opportunity that it was to coach him. Troy was a fearless player who was never afraid of the big moments and always came through with the clutch plays. He was a skilled, natural scorer who was very tough to defend. Off the court, Troy was a humble and friendly teammate; he was just one of the guys and never wanted special recognition, although he certainly deserved it."
When asked how his high school experience helped shape his basketball and college career, Bell commented, "When I first came to Holy Angels, the classes were very 
challenging. AHA teachers have high expectations that you'll do your best. So, the four years I spent at AHA really prepared me for a tough academic institution like Boston College. On the court, my head coach Gary Rufsvold and the rest of the coaches at Holy Angels believed in me and gave me a lot of opportunities to show what I could do right away as a ninth grader. Those opportunities, as well as the chance to play high-level AAU basketball, gave me confidence and helped me be successful at the next level."
Congratulations to Troy Bell!
Pictured above: Bell joined all of his former coaches after the ceremony on January 25th. Pictured from left to right is Al Skinner (BC head coach), Rene Pulley (AAU coach), Troy Bell, Tim O'Shea (BC assistant coach), Gary Rufsvold (AHA coach and advancement associate).