Tombi Bates (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Bell; born April 19, 1979), is an U.S. Virgin Islands former professional basketball player.

Basketball career

High school

Bates played for Miami Norland Senior High School, and during her tenure there, was one of the top players in her county.

College

Bates played for the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Gators from 1997 to 2001. She was featured in an April 2001 article for ''

The Gainesville Sun ''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the edi ...

''. , - , align="left" , 1997-98 , align="left" ,

, 25 , , 1 , , 14.7 , , .426 , , .362 , , .672 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 4.1 , - , align="left" , 1998-99 , align="left" ,

, 25 , , 1 , , 14.1 , , .344 , , .250 , , .619 , , 1.7 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 3.4 , - , align="left" , 1999-00 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 34 , , 29.6 , , .371 , , .294 , , .677 , , 3.7 , , 6.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.1 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , 2000-01 , align="left" ,

, 28 , , 27 , , 34.2 , , .494 , , .377 , , .705 , , 4.8 , , 5.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.2 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 112 , , 63 , , 24.0 , , .426 , , .362 , , .672 , , 3.1 , , 3.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 6.9 , -

Professional

Bates was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in 2001.

Post-playing career

Bates spent the 2005–2006 season as an assistant coach of the

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. Bates later became an NCAA certified referee and a FIBA certified official.

Personal

Bates graduated from Florida with bachelor's degree in exercise and sports sciences with a specialization in sport management in 2002. Bates is the sister of

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player, Raja Bell. As of 2013, Bates is a physical education teacher at

José Martí MAST 6-12 Academy José Martí MAST 6-12 Academy, also known as JMMA 6-12 or MAST 3, is a magnet school incorporating grades 6 through 12 in Hialeah, Florida. Established in 1987 as José Martí Middle School, it introduced its magnet program with a high school expa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Tombi 1979 births Living people American women's basketball coaches American women's basketball players American women educators Florida Gators women's basketball players Guards (basketball) Schoolteachers from Florida Miami Hurricanes women's basketball coaches Minnesota Lynx draft picks People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands United States Virgin Islands women's basketball players Miami Norland Senior High School alumni Basketball players from Miami Sports coaches from Miami