MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Terrell Bell, a junior small forward from suburban Atlanta, is second on the Hokies in rebounding.

BLACKSBURG -- Terrell Bell and his roommate often talked with each other last year about the possibility of transferring from Virginia Tech.

That roommate, Hank Thorns, decided to transfer. Bell stayed put.

Bell's choice has paid off for both him and his team.

Once frustrated with his lack of playing time, Bell is now the starting small forward and second-leading rebounder on the Hokies (23-7).

To have a bigger role "was my goal throughout the whole summer, so I'm just happy I've accomplished [it]," said Bell, whose team plays in an ACC quarterfinal today.

Bell's improvement this season was evident in Saturday's win at Georgia Tech. The junior from suburban Atlanta had his first double-double, scoring a career-high 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in front of about 25 friends and relatives.

"That's just going to be the highlight of my year," Bell said.

'Mama's boy'

Bell, an only child, was raised by his mother, Tyra Majors, in Stone Mountain, Ga.

"He was just a mama's boy. He always wanted to be with his mama," Majors said.

His mother cheered him on at his games. She played catch with him and would shoot hoops with him. She watched games on TV with him.

"She knew everything about football and baseball. She's screaming at the TV, and I'd just be like, 'Mom, do you have to do that?' " Bell said.

Bell said his father, Hank Bell, was "in and out" of his life when he was a kid.

His father phones him after almost every Hokie game. Both his parents attended the win at Georgia Tech.

Bell was an all-state power forward at Stone Mountain High School. Georgia Tech did not offer him a scholarship, but Georgia did. Bell decided to leave the state, though.

"I felt like if I was [at a school] too close to my mom, I wasn't going to grow up like I needed to," Bell said.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Bell became a small forward at Virginia Tech. He had a hard time adjusting to playing on the perimeter. He averaged 1.8 points and 7.1 minutes as a freshman.

"The transition from the power forward to the small forward spot, I didn't realize how much ball-handling was involved, how much shooting," he said. "In high school, I was just bigger than everybody, so it would just be I'd catch, one dribble and I'm at the rim."

He would make the same mistakes repeatedly, drawing Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg's wrath. Bell didn't like it, but Greenberg told Bell and his mother that he wasn't going to back off because he saw Bell's potential.

So Bell realized he had to grow up.

Last season, Bell averaged 2.3 points and 12.4 minutes. He ranked just eighth on the team in minutes, averaging fewer minutes than the other five sophomores on the team.

"I knew I wasn't getting the job done in practice that needed to be done to be playing," he said.

Bell and Thorns, who was the backup point guard as a sophomore last season, debated transferring. Bell also talked about it with his mother.

Thorns decided last May to transfer, eventually picking TCU.

That left one fewer player battling for playing time on the perimeter, so Bell decided he didn't need to change schools.

Breakthrough season

Bell dedicated himself in the offseason to winning the starting job that was held by senior A.D. Vassallo last season.

"I just felt like it was my turn," he said.

He remained at Tech all summer, working on his shot, his ball-handling and his quickness. He added 10 pounds, and tried to be more focused on the court. He won the starting job, and ranks third on the team in minutes (27.6 mpg).

Bell is averaging 6.2 rebounds, up from 2.7 last season. He grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over North Carolina, and a career-high 14 rebounds in the victory over Wake.

"Once it's shot, everybody just stands around and kind of hopes it comes their way, but I really just want to go get it," Bell said.

Greenberg loves the pride Bell takes in rebounding.

"He's flying around," Greenberg said. "He goes after it -- he's using his length, he uses his quickness."

Defense has always been Bell's strong suit at Tech. He is adept at guarding foes. He also ranks second on the team in blocks with 33 -- up from 11 his first two years combined -- and is tied for third in steals (24).

"He really embraced the role," Greenberg said. "The main role for him is contesting shots, defending, using his length, rebounding."

Bell ranks fifth on Tech in scoring (6 ppg). He has 16 3-pointers, five more than he made his first two years combined. Last weekend's win marked the sixth time he has scored in double figures this year. His performance at Georgia Tech helped make up for the absence of Dorenzo Hudson, who missed the game with an injured foot.

Thanks to last weekend's win, the Hokies enter the ACC Tournament confident about their chances for an NCAA tournament at-large bid -- unlike the past two years.

"We're more focused on the ACC Tournament now than ... playing to win to get into the NCAA tournament," Bell said.

After the Georgia Tech game, Bell posed for photos with his family by the team bus. His proud mother wept with joy.

"It's good to see where he's at right now," his mother said. "I always knew he had it in him."