Winston Bell got quite a birthday present Wednesday morning when he was offered the head coaching job of the Todd Beamer boys basketball program. Bell becomes the Titans’ fourth different head coach in the last five years.

“It was a nice way to start the day,” Bell said. “It was a nice birthday present.”

Bell is no stranger to the basketball court. He was a junior-college All-American at San Jose City College in California before earning a scholarship to play at Washington State University. Bell, a Chicago native, was a Cougar from 1988-90 and played for Kelvin Sampson in Pullman. This will be his first job as a head coach at a high school. Bell also coached at Saghalie Middle School in the past.

“We are really excited to bring him on board,” Beamer athletic director Jerry Peterson said. “He brings a wealth of basketball knowledge. He has experience as a player and a coach. We are excited.”

Bell, who owns a counseling service (Everybody Can Win) and works within the Federal Way School District to fight childhood obesity, coached the Federal Way Intensity AAU team that included players like Kevin Davis, Napa Mefi and Chase Hildebrandt from Beamer, Robert Christopher from Federal Way and Terrence Peters from Decatur.

“They were a group of kids that nobody really wanted,” Bell said. “One of my gifts is motivating kids and teaching. That group of kids turned out to be special.”

Bell succeeds Brent Brilhante, who resigned after two seasons. Brilhante led the Titans to their first-ever berth into the Class 4A State Tournament in 2009. Beamer came within one game of qualifying this year, but were eliminated by the eventual state-champion Kentwood Conquerors in a winner-to-state, loser-out West Central District game.

Bell will be working with basically a new team when he takes over. The Titans will be without their three leading scorers from a season ago. Davis (21.3 points) and Terelle Loggins (10.5) were both seniors and Mefi (16.8) transferred to Federal Way High School following his junior season.

“I’m just going to adapt to what I have,” Bell said. “I’m going to see what I have. But I knew we will play an exciting brand of basketball and play hard.”

In other news:

• The only coach in the history of Todd Beamer volleyball has resigned. Bliss Carlson, who was coached the Titans since the school opened in 2003, is getting married and moving to another state, according to Peterson.

“She just did a great job for us,” he said. “We are sad to see her go.”