“Basketball is a tool that helps you get an education.”
Seyram Bell, the head coach of women’s basketball at the University of California Riverside, sits down with us in this episode of the 35,000 feet podcast and going over the high and lows of her team’s past season. her journey to becoming a university basketball coach, and ties in some travel discussing her most memorable travel experiences.
In this episode, we discuss:
How this past season went for the University of California Riverside Basketball team (0:20)
How Coach Bell got into coaching (2:01)
Seyram’s favorite travel experience (4:50)
One thing that no one knows about Seyram (8:45)
Seyram’s advice to athletes wanting to play in college (11:01)
Seyram’s next adventure (13:45)
California Riverside Basketball Team’s Past Season
Morgan: Hi guys. Welcome back. It's Morgan. Today, I'm sitting down with Coach Sey. Thanks so much for joining us.
Seyram Bell: No problem. Thank you for having me.
Morgan: Yes. We're excited to get to know you better. Can you tell us about the highs and lows of your current season?
Seyram Bell: This past season, we started the season with a foreign trip. We, I guess, started on a high, because we started on vacation. We went to Cyprus and spent 14 days there.
Morgan: Wow.
Seyram Bell: It was pretty cool experience. And then we, right after we came back, we had a little bit of time off and then we went straight into preseason workouts and season and started playing. Our record didn't reflect obviously what we wanted to achieve this year. But a lot of the players, one of the highs is it went beyond X's and O's, and they matured so much this year in terms of just life goals and character goals. They matured and so it was like, yeah, we didn't win as many games as we wanted to so that would be the low, but the high was just how much they came together and they just dealt with adversity and they overcame those challenges.
Morgan: Wow. I love that you said the record doesn't always, it doesn't always show what's going on behind what you can see. Because I know you guys were working so hard and so I'm sure your team's learned a lot about that. I'm excited to see your next season.
Seyram Bell: Yeah, yeah. We're looking forward to it too. And just the commitment that a lot of these girls are committing to now and the stuff that they want to get better at, and just goals they've set. I'm really looking forward to that.
Morgan: I love that. I love the mindset you have. I think it will take your guys' teams far.
Seyram Bell: I hope so. Thank you.
How Seyram Bell Became A Coach
Morgan: No, for sure. Well, how did you even get to be a coach? How did you get where you're at today?
Seyram Bell: It's funny. I played at UC Riverside and my junior year or going into my junior year, we had a foreign tour to Greece. And so it was really cool. Got to play against the professional teams out there. And apparently that connection while we went to go play, they kept in contact with my coaches. And then so when I graduated, they reached out to him and wanted me to go play professionally over there.
Morgan: Wow.
Seyram Bell: At the time, my coach asked me, "Do you want to coach?" And in my head, I was like, oh heck no, I never want to coach. I'm going to be a professional. I went overseas and I quickly realized I was not going to be a professional athlete forever. This just wasn't the lifestyle that I wanted. I came back and when I came back home, I was going to, because I always kind of knew I wanted to go to graduate school so I was just kind of getting back into the swing of things and I was presented the opportunity to coach. And so just talking with my family, they said, "Hey, just try it and see." You should. They meant just taking a break, you've been going to school your whole life, take a break and just see. I got into coaching that way and been in it since.
Morgan: Oh my. Wow. Well I'm glad it worked out the way it did because I'm glad you're a coach because I can tell the passion you have for it, which is a necessity.
Seyram Bell: Yes, definitely so. And one thing I really like about it because don't get me wrong, I don't miss the late nights and the stressful times of putting together the film or game preparation. But what I really love about it is the relationship with the players and the camaraderie of the team and stuff. Because again, I think it's more than X's and O's, I think student athletes use, they use basketball as a tool to get education. And so I just think it's such a unique and cool opportunity to have these group of kids together and just watch them grow from 18 year olds, in fact we've had 16 year olds, and watch them graduate. I think that's the joy I find in coaching and it just, I love basketball. I got to mix those two joys together.
Morgan: Wow. No, and I think that's awesome that you're able to have this opportunity because so many people, I feel like don't get an opportunity to do something they love and make an impact in players' lives too.
Seyram Bell: Yeah. Yes, absolutely.
Coach Seyram Bell’s Most Memorable Travel Experiences
Morgan: What's one of your most memorable travel experiences? You mentioned you went to Cyprus, but is there one that you have in mind specifically?
Seyram Bell: I've been fortunate enough to go on three foreign tours, one as a player, two as a coach and each one brought its own memorable moments. I went to Greece as a player and then I went to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Morgan: Oh wow.
Seyram Bell: Which was really cool. I think one of the greatest memories I have of that trip is one of our players is actually from Guadaloupe. And so she had the opportunity for her mom to watch her play because her mom hadn't really seen her play because she went to school in the United States.
Morgan: Oh wow.
Seyram Bell: And so her mom couldn't really come out and watch her play in the States. Bringing basketball to her was really cool. Her mom got to see her play there. And then one thing that I thought was really special about that, once we left that trip, we had such a connection with her and her culture so the team worked together and for the last home game, they put together their money and they flew her mom out to surprise her so she can watch her play a college game in the United States. And so I think that was so special. And that was partly because we went to her home and we got to experience her and really get to meet her family, which they took really good care of us in terms of kind of showing us the island and island life. And it was just, it was really cool. I really enjoyed that with that trip.
And then when we went to Cyprus, similar situation, we have a Cypriot on our team, so she got to show us where she grew up and all that fun, cool stuff. But one of the most memorable things for me was I got to go on this trip with my two little girls and my mom.
Morgan: Wow.
Seyram Bell: That was pretty cool. Yeah. And then just seeing how the team embraced my kids, my four year old, she's not four yet, but she'll be four in April. She just talks about stuff from the trip and it's just so shocking that she remembers, but she'll talk about the team. And she's like, "Remember when this player, we went to the beach with this player and that?" And so I think that was pretty cool.
Morgan: Oh, that's fun. And I think it's awesome that your team is having that experience and also your family.
Seyram Bell: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was definitely fun. My husband couldn't go cause ironically we both coach.
Morgan: Oh really?
Seyram Bell: Yeah, we actually both coach at UCI. We both went to UCR and played basketball and then we graduated. He's a little older, by two years, but I like telling that to people. And so once we graduated, we didn't talk and we didn't date in college at all. Once we graduated, I started working there and then he came and started working at UCR too. During that time we dated and then we got married. We have a lot of, even at our wedding, it was all UCR alum. It was his teammates, my teammates. It was great. But yeah, so we have a lot of connection to UC Riverside community and he was coaching on the men's side. I was coaching on the women's side obviously. And then he just took a high school job so during that time he couldn't leave, he was going to go with us on the trip, but he couldn't leave so that's why he couldn't. He didn't get to experience Cyprus.
Morgan: Oh, I'm glad that your kids were though.
Seyram Bell: Yes. Yes they had a blast.
Morgan: Well, that's so fun. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. I want to go there.
Seyram Bell: Yeah, it's definitely hot. Take a lot.
Morgan: Oh I bet. I bet.
Seyram Bell: It was really cool though.
Something Noone Knows About Coach Seyram Bell
Morgan: What is one thing that no one knows about you that you can share with us?
Seyram Bell: I'm trying to think. When I was younger, I used to, I actually started dancing. I was in ballet and tap dance, but I was also, so my family, I'm first generation Guinean American. My grandparents came out here and they taught African music and dance at UCLA.
Morgan: Oh cool.
Seyram Bell: They came out here and then obviously my parents came too, but they kind of brought up all the kids in the African music and dance culture. I would have to learn. On Saturdays, I would learn how to play different instruments. And then my grandpa would teach us how to play the instruments and my grandmother would show us the dance routine. I used to do that for a very long time and I actually stopped. It broke my grandmother's heart because I stopped because I chose basketball. Yes, that's one thing, not too many people know that about me. But I used to do it all the time. I would go with my grandparents and perform shows with them and learn instruments. That was pretty cool.
Morgan: Wow. I think that's so cool. Wow. Are you going to have your kids learn that?
Seyram Bell: I don't know. I want to, I want them to embrace the Guinean culture as much as possible. And it's actually really funny because my parents, so I don't speak the native language. I understand it, but I don't speak it just because I know I have an accent, so I have insecurities.
Morgan: You're like, nope.
Seyram Bell: I don't. But my kids, my parents are teaching my kids. And so they're trying to say the words and I know what they're talking about, but my husband doesn't speak the language and well he's not Guinean. He doesn't know what we're talking about a lot of times so I just think it's funny. We're trying just so they kind of know their family heritage.
Coach Seyram Bell’s Advice to Future Collegiate Athletes
Morgan: That's awesome. Keep that heritage alive. I love that. Oh, I love that. Ah, well, thank you for that. If you're an athlete wanting to play for a team or university, what would your advice be to them?
Seyram Bell: My advice would be to pick a institution that fits you. Don't go for the big name or for all the bells and whistles. You need to connect with the coaches. You need to connect with the team and go to a place that you can truly be yourself because the goal is to be at the same institution for four years or five if there's a red shirt year in there. But you want to go there and you want to enjoy your time there because like I said before, basketball is a tool that helps you get the education. There's no sense in going somewhere and you're miserable because one, basketball may not be doing what it is that you wanted to do or you're not getting out of it what you want to get out of it. And then you're going to a school that doesn't have the academics that you want or you're not majoring in what it is that you really want to major in.
It doesn't make sense to just have a poor experience. Really take the time and think about what it is that you want to get out of a college and find somewhere that suits that, what you're looking for. It's just unfortunate and it's based off perspective. It could be fortunate or unfortunate but so many times I've heard people say, "It wasn't a right fit for me or I didn't feel like I belonged there." And it was just I just wish you knew that beforehand, instead of making that extra step and then having to sit out or whatever the case is. I really just encourage people, go somewhere where you want to go, don't listen to outside noise and like people influencing you. Oh, I think you should go here because of X, Y, Z. No, go somewhere because you want to go there.
Morgan: Oh, I love that. No, it's true because there's so much more to college athletics. It's the athletics and school and your team family, and there's so much more to it. I love that.
Seyram Bell: Yes. And then just my other thing would just be enjoy it. Because you're never going to have another opportunity to play college athletics. During that time you're there, just make the most out of it. I even tell my players now, my best friends, they're the godparents to my kids.
Morgan: Oh I love that.
Seyram Bell: Or my teammates. I just think, just enjoy that time. It's you only get it once and just make the most out of it.
Morgan: Oh, yes. No, that is wonderful advice. And I hope lots of people listen to this because that was good.
Seyram Bell: I hope so too.
Seyram Bell’s Next Adventures
Morgan: They need to hear that. Well, perfect. Well, what's your next adventure?
Seyram Bell: I don't know. I think well, with the current situation, we are going to plant some flowers in the backyard.
Morgan: Oh awesome. Hey, that sounds fun.
Seyram Bell: Yes. And it's really, it is going to be a true test because I do not have a green thumb nor does my husband. We are hoping.
Morgan: That is so funny.
Seyram Bell: For kids' sake that we can make this work.
Morgan: Hey, I think it'll work.
Seyram Bell: That is too funny. Yes.
Morgan: Well good luck.
Seyram Bell: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. And then I'm not really sure what the next adventure is so we'll see.
Morgan: Yes. Time will tell. Time will tell.
Seyram Bell: Time will tell.
Morgan: But have fun planting those flowers.
Seyram Bell: I hope so, Yes.
Morgan: Well Sey, thanks so much for letting us get a glimpse of your wonderful team.
Seyram Bell: No problem.
Morgan: And just getting to know you better. It was great talking to you.
Seyram Bell: Hey, same to you.
University of California Riverside Basketball
Podcast made in partnership with Acanela Expeditions
Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle