Destin High School has hired Christopher Bell as its new head varsity basketball coach for the 2025-2026 school year, the school announced.

• Bell brings more than 25 years of coaching experience spanning high school, military and travel basketball. He most recently served as head coach and program director for Florida Dream Travel Basketball, where he compiled a 163-47 record across five teams while maintaining a 94% college graduation rate among his athletes.

The new coach also has local ties, having previously served as JV head coach and varsity associate coach at Niceville High School. His experience includes developing defensive strategies and game-day execution.

Bell is a U.S. Air Force veteran whose leadership has been recognized internationally through successful programs at military bases worldwide, including Barksdale AFB, Vance AFB and Osan AB. He has mentored NBA draftee Bernard James during his coaching career.

• “Coach Bell brings a rare blend of integrity, competitive excellence, and educational focus to our program,” said Executive Director Williams. “His coaching history speaks for itself, and more importantly, his ability to develop young men into leaders is exactly what we want at Destin High School.”

Bell shared his vision for the program: “I’m honored to lead the basketball program at Destin High. I believe in building a culture of hard work, accountability, academic achievement, and respect. I’m excited to mentor our student-athletes and compete at the highest level.”