Syracuse Orange Encounters Unfortunate News as Top Player Bids Farewell to Program

Syracuse Transfer Chris Bell Chooses Cal for Next Chapter in Basketball Career

Chris Bell, a skilled three-point shooter and a Bay Area native, has committed to the University of California, Berkeley, after transferring from Syracuse, according to reports from On3 and Rivals.

The 6-foot-7 forward, who has one season of eligibility left, played his junior season at Syracuse. Bell is a notable outside shooter, which is a major area of need for Cal, as the team ranked 16th out of 18 ACC teams in three-point shooting percentage (31.5%) in 2024-25.

Bell becomes the sixth transfer added by Cal’s head coach Mark Madsen in recent days, joining fellow transfers Sammie Yeanay (Grand Canyon), John Camden (Delaware), Milos Ilic (Loyola-Maryland), Nolan Dorsey (Campbell), and Dai Dai Ames (Virginia).

During the 2024-25 season, Bell started 13 of the 33 games he played for Syracuse, averaging 21.5 minutes, 9.3 points, and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 40.7% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc, leading the Orange with 47 made three-pointers.

Bell’s best performance came against Pittsburgh, where he scored a season-high 23 points. However, he only managed five points off the bench when Syracuse defeated Cal 75-66 at Haas Pavilion on February 1.

Syracuse transfer forward Chris Bell has committed to Cal, sources tell @RivalsHoops.

He averaged 9.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG last season.https://t.co/nPxy1Ceqjc pic.twitter.com/cWI6rjiVb9

— Rivals Hoops (@RivalsHoops) April 24, 2025

As a sophomore in 2023-24, Bell started all 32 games, averaging 12.0 points and an impressive 42.0% from three-point range, hitting 84 shots from deep — nearly double the next closest teammate.

As a freshman, Bell started 30 games, averaging 6.6 points and shooting 34.5% from three-point range, with 39 three-pointers, the second-most on the team.

A Concord, California, native, Bell attended De La Salle High School for three years before finishing his prep career at Wasatch Academy in Utah for the 2021-22 season. Coming out of high school, he received offers from several schools, including Maryland, Creighton, Rutgers, Mississippi, Iowa State, Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Washington, and San Diego State, before ultimately signing with Syracuse.