Throughout his 49-year coaching career, Bob Bell has tailored his coaching style around two things – being consistent and doing things the right way.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is honoring the longtime area coach for both facets of his coaching style.
Bell is one of two Ohio coaches who will receive the Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award from the OHSAA.
Additionally, he is a recipient of the Bob Arnzen Award, which is presented to any coach who spends 20 or more years coaching at the same school. Bell coached 21 years at Kirtland, a run that ended after the 2018-2019 season.
The awards were scheduled to be presented during the state girls basketball tournament’s Championship Saturday on March 14. But because of measures taken by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the OHSAA in order to diminish the threat of the spread of the novel coronavirus, the girls tournament – and all winter sports tournaments – were indefinitely postponed.
Bell will still receive the honors, just not at this year’s state tournament as scheduled.
“I completely understand,” said Bell of the indefinite postponement of the tournaments that kept him from receiving his awards in front of more than 10,000. “I was looking forward to going down and being part of it, but it’s about keeping everyone as healthy as possible.”
Bell spent last season as a varsity assistant at Mentor on the staff of Cardinals coach James Hrusovsky, having previously coached at Kirtland, where he accumulated 299 of his wins, as well as 10 league championships, 13 sectional titles and one district crown (2005).
In all, Bell has a career record of 511-404 (.558), which includes 23 years as a head boys basketball coach at South and Riverside, followed by 18 years as the head girls basketball coach at Kirtland. He was an assistant at Kirtland for three years before taking over the head coaching position.
But how his teams won were every bit as important is whether or not they won – hence the OHSAA’s Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award.
“I always tried to hold myself and my teams to a higher standard,” he said. “I always felt we were ambassadors for the school and the community that we were from. I felt it was important not only to put out a good product, but also be a respectful product on the floor.”
His longevity at Kirtand was special to him.
The Bob Arnzen Award is named after the longtime Delphos St. John coach, who spent 43 years coaching the same program.
“They were 21 great years at Kirtland,” he said of his ledger with the Hornets that included 10 league titles and 14 sectional titles. “I had the opportunity to work with a lot of good players. I think they were for the most part successful years. We won 300 games there in 18 years.”
Stepping back into an assistant’s role, as he did this past season on Hrusovsky’s staff with a Mentor program that advanced to the Division I district tournament in Perry, did not temper his fervor or love for the game. He noted while he wasn’t the head coach, he enjoyed the experience very much.
“I worked as hard as I did when I was a head coach,” Bell said. “I always knew what my role was – to assist and offer as much as I could and go with the decision that was made. (Hrusovsky) has done a tremendous job of turning that program around.”
Now 70, Bell has no plans of ending his coaching career. Whether it be on Mentor’s staff next year, or if he takes on another head-coaching position, remains to be seen. He loves the game and contributing more than ever.
“I’d never shut the door on anything at this point,” Bell said of being a head coach again. “Right now I am happy doing what I’m doing. As long as I feel I can contribute to the Mentor girls basketball program, I’m satisfied with that.
“If the right situation came along (to head coach), maybe. But I’m not actively looking for anything.”
