To say Tim Bellmon is excited about the road ahead is an understatement.

The 51-year-old, who served as an assistant for Hanceville’s varsity girls last season, is taking over the program following the departure of Christina Watson.

Watson spent six seasons leading her alma mater before stepping down earlier this year.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” Bellmon said. “It came as a surprise. When Christina decided that she was leaving, she came and talked to me about the job. It made things easier. It was a no-brainer for me to stay in Hanceville and help build a program she’s already established.”

Bellmon boasts more than 20 years of coaching experience.

He made several stops in Texas from 1998-2014 before becoming an assistant coach at Wallace State for both the men’s (2015-18) and women’s (2018-19) programs.

“We’re extremely excited,” said Hanceville Principal Jimmy Collins. “Tim does a fantastic job of building relationships with our girls. He’s also got a lot of experience. That’s the main thing.”

As for what kind of team Bellmon hopes to put on the floor, that’s easy enough for him to define.

“The biggest thing for me is us being better defensively,” he said. “I want to be a lot tougher. With better defense, we can turn that into offense. I’d also like to be uptempo eventually. In high school, though, you have to go with the hand you’re dealt. But we’d like to get there (uptempo) eventually.”

Bellmon will have to wait until November for his first season with the Lady Bulldogs.

Until then, he’ll count his blessings.

“The Lord puts you in situations for a reason,” he said. “I’m definitely going to take advantage of it. And I really want to thank coach Watson for all that she has done for the program.”