When guard Kierstan Bell takes the court, she already makes a new statement before tip-off. The 6’1” Ohio State transfer repeatedly changes her hair style and its color—it could be waves or curls, or maybe a Mohawk—and sports a tattoo on her right quad of the Philippians 4:13 bible verse.
After play begins, well, her “#MarchMaturity” kicks in. The Florida Gulf Coast star was averaging 23.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and ranked among the nation’s top five scorers by mid-January, less than two weeks before college basketball shifts gears to that decisive time when teams make their push toward the final month of the regular season with the hopes of diving into the NCAA tournament.
But on Jan. 19 in a matchup against Stetson—when just hours earlier Bell declared for this year’s WNBA draft, Bell left the game after a turnaround jumper against two Stetson defenders. Her left knee had been bothering her for weeks, so it felt like the right decision. A few days later, Bell found out she partially tore her meniscus in her left knee and decided to undergo surgery a week later.
