Chris Bell Returns to Syracuse: A Quiet Homecoming with Cal, and a Career Still Rising
There’s a different kind of energy when a player returns to face his old team - especially in college basketball, where the connections run deep and the memories are fresh. On Wednesday night, Chris Bell will walk back into the JMA Wireless Dome - not as a member of the Orange, but wearing the blue and gold of the California Golden Bears.
Bell, a 6-foot-7 forward, spent three seasons with Syracuse before entering the transfer portal and landing at Cal for his senior year. Now, he’s back in Central New York, not for a reunion, but for a battle. And while the emotions might be stirring under the surface, Bell is taking a quiet, businesslike approach to his return.
Unlike former Orange teammate Quadir Copeland - who turned his own Syracuse homecoming into a personal showcase, complete with 19 points, nine assists, and plenty of on-court bravado - Bell has kept things low-key. No interviews.
No social media buzz. Just a player focused on the task at hand.
Cal head coach Mark Madsen isn’t worried about Bell letting the moment get too big.
“Chris is a guy that never gets too high or too low,” Madsen said during the ACC coaches’ teleconference. “Nothing really fazes him. He’s mature, he’s been around, and I think he’s going to manage it very, very well.”
That even-keeled demeanor has defined Bell’s game - and his growth - throughout his college career. Madsen praised Bell’s work ethic, calling it “that of an NBA player,” and said that approach has helped him fit seamlessly into Cal’s system.
“He’s going to lean on his preparation,” Madsen said. “He trusts his skills, and he’s going to go out there and play his game.”
So far this season, Bell has delivered. He’s averaging 13.0 points per game for the Bears and shooting 35.9% from three - numbers that mirror much of his production during his Syracuse years. He’s not the flashiest player on the floor, but when he gets hot from deep, he can change a game in a hurry.
That was especially true during his sophomore season with the Orange, when he twice knocked down eight threes in a single game - just one shy of the school record - once at N.C. State and again in a win over Louisville. That version of Bell showed the kind of offensive ceiling that made him a key piece in Syracuse’s rotation early on.
But his junior year told a different story. His scoring dipped to 9.3 points per game, and his 3-point percentage slid slightly to 35.3%.
He lost his starting spot to transfer Lucas Taylor, and while he still appeared in all 33 games, his role had clearly shifted. The decision to transfer wasn’t a surprise - and it wasn’t made lightly.
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said he spoke with Bell during the process and supported his decision.
“He explored his options,” Autry said. “We talked about that. He did the thing that was best for him.”
Autry also noted the growth he’s seen in Bell as a senior, both in maturity and in how he’s expanding his game.
“He’s shooting the ball well,” Autry said. “But he’s also doing some other things better.
He’s putting the ball on the floor more. I think he’s having a good year.”
Bell’s rebounding - a point of criticism during his early years under Jim Boeheim - still hovers around 2.5 per game. But Madsen isn’t concerned. He sees Bell as much more than a floor spacer.
“He is obviously an elite shooter, but he’s so much more than that,” Madsen said. “He’s a strong finisher at the rim.
He has a really good basketball IQ. And he’s somebody that everyone on the team loves.
He’s helped elevate our program in a lot of ways.”
Bell currently ranks fourth on the team in scoring for a Cal squad that’s 17-7 and right in the thick of the NCAA Tournament conversation. The Bears have won four of their last six, and while Bell isn’t the team’s top scorer or most efficient shooter from deep - both Dai Dai Ames and John Camden hold that distinction - his value goes beyond the box score.
When Bell entered the portal last spring, Madsen made calls to Syracuse to learn more about him. What he heard was glowing.
“Everyone out there that knows him - it was overwhelmingly how much they love him and how much they were going to miss him,” Madsen said.
Now, Bell returns to the Dome not as a villain or a hero, but as a competitor. There’s no revenge narrative here, no dramatic arc. Just a player who found a new fit, embraced the opportunity, and is making the most of his final college season.
“I’m sure Syracuse misses Chris,” Madsen said. “And Chris has meant the world to us.
I hope this opportunity here at Cal has been a very positive one for him. He’s really thrived.
And he’s helped us win some big games.”
Wednesday night, Bell will line up against some familiar faces - JJ Starling, Donnie Freeman, and the Orange fanbase he once called home. Whether he lights it up from deep or quietly plays his role, he’ll be doing what he always does: staying steady, trusting his work, and letting his game speak for itself.