Oklahoma Women's Basketball Star LeeLee Bell Sweeps Freshman of the Week Honors

If you were wondering whether five-star talent would translate immediately to the SEC level for Jennie Baranczyk’s squad, freshman LeeLee Bell answered that question with an emphatic exclamation point over her first week in crimson and cream.

Following a historic, eye-popping opening week to her collegiate career, Bell was officially named the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) alongside SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Tuesday.

And frankly, the hardware is more than deserved.

Bell terrorized opponents out of the gate, averaging 22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game to power No. 14 Oklahoma to a pristine 2–0 start. The centerpiece of that opening stretch? A dazzling 91–79 statement victory over then-No. 12 North Carolina across the Atlantic in Paris.

On the grand stage in Paris, Bell put on a masterclass. She poured in a game-high 25 points, grabbed 8 boards, and dished out 4 assists. According to historical tracking, that stat line made her the first freshman nationally this century to put up at least 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a collegiate debut against a ranked opponent. Furthermore, her 25-point explosion stands as the second-highest scoring debut by any player in the storied history of Oklahoma women's basketball.

If folks thought Paris was a flash in the pan, Bell proved otherwise right away back on home soil.

In a suffocating 95–38 rout of Morgan State at the Lloyd Noble Center, Bell secured her first career double-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals. That stat line made her the first Sooner—regardless of class—to register a 20-point, 12-rebound, 4-steal night since way back in 2002.

With the national recognition, Bell joins elite company in Oklahoma lore. She becomes just the third Sooner to capture the USBWA's Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week award, following Nancy Mulkey (2017) and Aaliyah Chavez (2025). (Program legend Courtney Paris took home National Freshman of the Year honors in 2006, though weekly awards weren't handed out at the time).

Locally, Bell’s selection marks the first time an Oklahoma player has claimed the SEC's opening Freshman of the Week award of the season. It continues an absolute pipeline of dominant young talent in Norman: the Sooners have now hauled in a league-best nine SEC Freshman of the Week honors over the last two seasons, a run heavily padded by Chavez’s conference-record eight weekly nods during the 2025–26 campaign.

Baranczyk's No. 14 Sooners won't have much time to admire the trophy case, though. The ambitious global non-conference schedule rolls right along tonight, Tuesday, as Oklahoma welcomes San Jose State (0–1) to the Lloyd Noble Center for a 6 p.m. tipoff. If Bell's opening week is any indication of what's to come, Lloyd Noble is going to be appointment viewing all winter long.