Villanova's James Bell has surgery

Villanova freshman guard James Bell had successful surgery Wednesday in which metal rods were inserted from the knee to the ankle in both legs to deal with stress fractures of his tibias.

He remains sidelined for an undetermined length of time.

"James has had chronic stress fractures that have been bothering him for as long as a year-and-a-half," said Villanova team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rob Good, who performed the surgery. "The fractures hadn't responded to the non-operative treatment the way we would have liked and the concern was that if we didn't address these fractures surgically, they could become complete fractures ... The rods will do two things: stimulate new healing around the fractures and stabilize the tibia. The surgery went well and we're optimistic we can get those fractures to heal."

Bell. 6-5, was a third team All-American choice by USA Today and averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game during his senior season at Montverde Academy in Orlando, Fla.

"This has been a tough stretch for James at the start of his freshman year," coach Jay Wright said. "He has handled this all with great maturity and I know he will approach his rehab with determination. We will continue to monitor his progress as he goes through rehab."

Villanova also announced that Russell Wooten, a 6-4 walk-on who played 22 games for the Wildcats from 2008-10, has been added to the 2010-11 roster. He graduated in May and is now enrolled in graduate school.