SUNY New Paltz Athletics

Tom Bell will begin his fourth season as the top assistant men’s basketball coach at SUNY New Paltz since coming on in 2018.  

Bell earned his Master’s Degree from SUNY New Paltz in 1994, before beginning his high school coaching and teaching career at Poughkeepsie High School, where he remains a full-time teacher.

Bell spent 13 years as the head coach of the Poughkeepsie High School girls' varsity program, finishing with a record of 171-85, and was also named as the Poughkeepsie Journal Coach of the Year in 1992 and 2002.

He then transitioned to Spackenkill High School in 2005 and served as the head JV boy's coach for nine seasons, compiling an impressive record of 99-55, before taking over the Spartans boys' varsity program in 2014.

Bell won 51 games and lost just 14 times in his three seasons at the helm, which was capped off in 2017 by guiding Spackenkill to a Section 9, Class B championship and a state quarterfinals appearance.