On Feb. 26, Devonte Bell’s four-year career came to an abrupt end.  The Hounds had lost to MICDS 62-58 in a fast, non-stop action game.  It was the type of game that Bell has always excelled in.

In the game, Bell finished with 22 points, tied for a team-high in the loss.  In the semifinals, Bell defeated Westminster with a baseline jumper with just under three seconds to go.  That was the shot that the Hounds always counted on Bell to hit in his time as the starting point guard for the Hounds.
“All four years, he [Bell] was our go-to guy,” head coach Ryan Luhning said.  “It was almost as if we counted on him too much, but he was always up for the challenge.”
Bell’s time as starting point guard was four years long, meaning Bell is the only point guard that Clayton High’s class of 2010 has seen on the court in their four years here.
Bell was a team captain three of those years.
“Devonte had a lot of talent coming in his freshman year, but what really developed over time was his leadership skills,” Luhning said.  “He really started to see the value in working hard all the time.”
Bell finished his career with 1,386 points, and finished this season averaging 15 points per game, second on the team.  As the end started to near, Bell was able to reflect on everything he is going to miss about Clayton basketball.
“I’m really going to miss the bond that this year’s team had and Coach [Mike] Nelke,” Bell said.
Bell’s freshman year was also head coach Ryan Luhning’s first year as a head coach.
“I was here with him his first year, so we have built this connection as a player and it was fun helping him build the Clayton basketball program for four years,” Bell said.
Indeed, Bell gave not only his coaches, but a lot of Clayton students many memories while he was on the court.
“My favorite games that I played in were always the Ladue games, they were a lot of fun and the atmosphere was so intense,” Bell said.
Surely, the team to the west will be quite happy to see Bell graduate.  Especially after his performance at Ladue last year in which he sent the game to overtime with a last second three following a half court heave that he drained at the end of the third quarter.
“The game my junior year against them was probably the best I played all four years,” Bell said.
Bell’s play on the court was noticed by several coaches at the collegiate level and the question now is just where he will be playing college basketball.
For now, he just wants to remember the time he had at Clayton, and surely, Clayton will always remember Devonte Bell and the many contributions he made to the basketball program.  He leaves Clayton with an era that made him one of the best to ever run the court and made Clayton basketball relevant again.