QU’s Bell to Step Down From Coaching, Will Remain As Athletic Director

Quincy University’s Marty Bell announced today that he is retiring as men’s basketball head coach and will focus solely on running the University’s athletic department. Assistant coach Ryan Hellenthal has been promoted to the top spot, becoming the program’s 15^th head coach.

Bell spent 14 seasons on the Quincy sideline, guiding the Hawks to five NCAA Tournaments. He is entering his 11^th year leading the athletic department. Bell’s Hawks posted a 240-168 (.588) record in his 14 seasons. In his final season, the Hawks went 25-7 and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal. Of the 56 players who completed their eligibility with the program under Bell, 55 of them (98 percent) earned their undergraduate degrees.

Hellenthal will take over on the basketball side after serving as an assistant coach in 2016-17. Hellenthal has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, Division II and NJCAA Division I levels. Hellenthal has served as an assistant coach at Central Missouri State, director of basketball operations and assistant coach at Long Beach State, director of basketball operations at Boise State, an assistant coach at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College and as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Garden City (Kansas) Community College.  Hellenthal graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002 with a degree in kinesiology.