Watching Wake Forest play Maryland Jan. 29, it was tough not to be caught up when ESPN's cameras panned the rafters of Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. High above the court hung the jerseys of Tim Duncan and other Demon Deacon stars of past years. At halftime, Wake added another name to its rafters, that of All-American Josh Howard. Howard, the ACC's player of the year last season, was honored by those whom had seen him play - the students, coaches, and fans whom followed the Deacons during his four-year career. The timing of the honor struck me - and caused me some consternation when thinking about the rafters of Silvio O. Conte Forum. Why not honor Dana Barros, who was the school's all-time leading scorer until last season? More importantly, why not honor the man who broke Barros's record - the man who put BC back on the basketball map - the one and only, number two, Troy Bell?
Perhaps, it is merely custom in the ACC to retire the numbers of those athletes who become All-Americans. The rafters of Maryland, North Carolina, and Duke are lined with the jerseys of old, great, basketball players - from Len Bias to James Worthy to Shane Battier, respectively. Still, their peers - their classmates and fans in most cases - always seem to honor those men soon after their graduation. The bestowing of this honor in front of one's peers surely means more than waiting for year after year to be honored. Why not let the fans who watched Troy Bell perform at Conte Forum be allowed to watch a ceremony for him before they graduate or are permanently removed from the BC scene?
Troy Bell did everything to deserve a spot in the hallowed rafters. Who else was in Sports Illustrated and on the cover of ESPN the Magazine? Troy Bell and the 2000-2001 team did more for the "renaissance" of BC basketball than any team in recent memory. Bell was a consummate ambassador for the school, keeping his name in the headlines for all the right reasons - being a team leader and a team player, all while working to achieve his ultimate goal of playing professional basketball.
Now, while the students and fans who watched Bell play are still around, Bell should watch his number two jersey ascend to the rafters of Conte Forum. Not 10 years from now, as hockey legend Len Ceglarski was recently treated, not 20 years from now, after his basketball career has wound to a close, but now. Within the next four years. After all, we are joining Maryland, North Carolina, and Duke in the ACC in 2005. And when in Rome, do as the Romans do. This is one tradition BC would benefit from.
Bill Potter is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
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