Bradford didn’t have to look far for its next boys basketball coach.

Long-time assistant Chuck Bell was named the program’s next boss during Wednesday’s meeting of the Bradford Area School District Board of Education.

Bell has served in various capacities for the Owls for roughly the past decade, most recently as a volunteer assistant coach.

“We had several good, quality applicants,” Bradford athletic director Mike Erickson noted. “Chuck’s been with the program for a long time, upwards of 10 years now, with many different roles in the program. He’s well established in the school district and is a teacher at School Street (Elementary).

“He knows the kids very well and in this time of COVID-19 and under these conditions, he was the right choice for where we’re at right now.”

That familiarity played largely into the decision to hire Bell, according to Erickson.

“That was part of the decision behind it. Most of the athletes know him, he knows them and there won’t be change,” Erickson said. “It would be really hard to add one more change to an already tumultuous year for these kids, a year full of unknowns. Having somebody come in with a completely different mindset this late in the game would not be beneficial to (the players) in the immediate future.”

It also played into Bell’s decision to accept the role.

“It’s a tough time, a time nobody expected would happen,” Bell said, alluding to the ongoing pandemic and its restrictions. “The goal right now is just to get a game in, because we don’t even know where we’re at with all this.

“I know all these kids already and I know what they know and what schemes they’re familiar with. I have a relationship with them and I’ve been with these seniors a long time … I think I’ve built pretty good relationships with these kids, and I think I’m always honest with them and will listen to them, too.”

Bell is taking over the program from Brian Hobbs, who resigned last month. Hobbs had coached the Owls for 10 years with Bell along as an assistant.

As such, expect the Owls to play with the same tenacity and tough defense they’ve brought for several years now.

“We’re going to go with a lot of what Coach Hobbs instilled in these guys, starting with defense,” Bell said. “It will have to be the cornerstone of our team.”

Bell was also quick to express his gratitude for Hobbs’ tutelage over the past decade.

“Coach Hobbs was a great mentor to me, and he’s always been very helpful and is still somebody I can talk to,” Bell said. “We have a very good relationship, and we’ve talked many times going into the situation and I know I have his support.”

Bell also thanked his family for the support as he takes over his new role.

“The support of my wife and two kids is huge. Without it, this wouldn’t be possible,” he said.

Though their coach is in place, the Owls won’t be seeing the hardwood for a game anytime soon. Winter sports at Bradford High are on pause right now as the school district remains in a virtual learning setting.

Until the area comes back down from its current status as at “substantial” risk of community spread of COVID-19, Bradford won’t be able to practice or play in games.

Thus far, the Owls have only conducted three practices. They’ll need 15 under their collective belt in order to begin competitions. As of now, the first scheduled game for Bradford is on Jan. 5 at Northern Potter.

“Right now, we’re just talking about bettering ourselves individually,” Bell said. “The best way to help the team is to better ourselves. So anything (the players) can do individually will help us when we get back together. And then when we do get together, it’ll be about hard work. We’ll have to better ourselves, improve every day and get better than the day before.”

That said, Bell is encouraged by what he saw in those three sessions, and highlighted the early leadership of Gavin Piscitelli.

“We have a good leader in Gavin, and that’s going to help us a lot,” Bell said.

Of the overall status of the program, he added, “Things are good. I like the energy and enthusiasm the guys come to the gym with. We have good numbers this year, and we’ll try to keep those up in this uncertain year. We want to keep as many of the players as involved as we can and to develop them. We’re young, so the more kids we keep and grow and develop, the better for us things will be in the future.”