Bell, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward, transfers to Azusa Pacific from Utah State University where he spent the past season-and-a-half. An excellent perimeter shooter, Bell signed with Ohio State University out of Brighton High in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spent the 2006 season with the Buckeyes, appearing in 7 games (33 minutes) while scoring 10 points. He returned home to Utah following the season and redshirted the 2007 campaign at Utah State.
This past season, as a 2008 sophomore, he appeared in 7 games (44 minutes) for the Aggies, tallying 12 points before leaving the program at the first semester break.
Bell first burst onto the national scene as a 2005 senior at Brighton High when he averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists. He was named all-state 5A first team and was selected as one of the top centers in the west by Prephoops.com. He was also named among the 100 top high school seniors by several recruiting services.
“Brayden is trying to find his niche in college basketball, but he is a great talent”, said Leslie, who is currently preparing his team for this week’s NAIA Championship Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. “I’m confident he’ll feel a home here at Azusa Pacific, regain the joy of playing basketball, and be a major impact player for us. He’ll team with (6-foot-10) David Burgess to certainly give us one of the best frontlines in the NAIA next year.”
Staniland is a 6-foot-6 shooting forward out of Ventura (Calif.) High where this past season he averaged 17 points a game and was named All-Ventura County and All-Channel League. He registered 8 20-point contest during his 27-game senior campaign, including a season-high 31-point performance against Pittsburg High. He also had 29 vs. country rival Simi Valley High.
As a 2007 junior Staniland averaged a team-high 19.9 points which included 14 20-point performances and a career-high 36 vs. Santa Barbara High. He played in 33 games for Ventura as a 2006 sophomore, averaging 7 points. For his 3-year, 88-game prep career, Staniland made 184 3-point field goals.
Staniland’s older brother, Jeff, was Azusa Pacific’s starting point guard from 2000 to 2003, leading the Cougars to 4 NAIA Tournament berths, including a Fab Four appearance in 2002. He is 1 of just 3 players in Azusa Pacific history to rank among the program’s all-time Top 10 in both points (1,571) and assists (447).
“James is a gifted offensive player”, said Leslie, who as a 2001 senior center teamed with Jeff Staniland to lead the Cougars to a 35-3 record, the best in program history. “He is a scorer who uses his size and intelligence to get points.
Azusa Pacific, which is currently 22-10 and is making its 12th consecutive appearance at the NAIA Tournament, features 5 seniors on this year’s team.
