The Bangor Christian girls basketball team will have a new coach and new arrivals to the roster this season.
Brock Bradford said he is “very excited” about his new job as the girls basketball coach at Bangor Christian.
“We have a lot of really great kids. There is a lot of talent coming back and some really great additions to our team as well,” said the Husson University Sports Hall of Famer. “And I’m obviously excited about coaching my daughter.”
Rivers Bradford is a freshman at Bangor Christian after playing for the Patriots as an eighth grader last season.
Her mother and Brock’s wife, Shelby Bradford, is also in the Husson Sports Hall of Fame.
The new additions he was referring to are sisters Mary and Annie Allen, who have transferred to Bangor Christian from Central High in Corinth, and Piscataquis Community High of Guilford transfer Reese Starbird.
Mary Allen is already a career 1,000-point scorer.
They will join a Bangor Christian team that went 15-3 during the regular season a year ago and earned the top seed for the Class D North tournament before being upset by fourth seed Schenck of East Millinocket, 35-29, in the semifinals.
The 38-year-old new coach Bradford is a three-time All-North Atlantic Conference player at Husson where he finished his 108-game career with 1,415 career points, 418 assists and 339 rebounds.
He has coached his daughter and other Bangor Christian players during the AAU season with the Maine Explosion.
Maris Kowalski, who also played for the Patriots as an eighth grader last season, has also played with Maine Explosion.
Bradford is replacing Kevin Reed who left take over the Bangor Christian boys basketball position.
“To have an opportunity to coach such a talented group of kids should be a lot of fun,” Bradford said.
He said he will be looking to play “up-tempo” basketball.
“One, because the girls are capable of it and I just like that style of play,” said Bradford. “When the rebound comes off the glass, we’ll be looking to outlet the ball and get up and down the court.”
He said the team will press at times and will play high-level player-to-player defense.
“We’re going to have quite a bit of depth, so to be able to get up and down the floor and sub girls in as needed to keep the tempo up will hopefully play to our advantage,” Bradford said.
Bradford, who played his high school basketball at Calvary Chapel in Orrington and Bangor Christian, said he is looking forward to coaching “a great group of girls in a Christian environment where there is a lot of alignment in faith and morals.”
Bangor Christian plays in Class D North.
“Obviously, we’re playing the game of basketball, but understanding there is a lot more to life and a lot more lessons to be learned than just wins and losses,” Bradford said. “I’m very excited about it.”