Seven years ago, Brad Bissell was the one sweating in the gym while the coaches barked out the instructions at Penetanguishene Secondary School (PSS).

Now he is the one holding the whistle and the clipboard, set to help shape the lives of the next set of PSS Pride athletes.

So in many ways, Bissell's life has come full-circle.

"I kind of knew this is where I wanted to teach," said Bissell, who actually began supply teaching at the school last September.

In a family where both his parents, Cathy and Brian Bissell, were teachers, finding his way into a classroom and a gymnasium was a natural fit.

After graduating from a South Carolina university Bissell had to wait a full year before he received his Canadian accreditation, allowing him to teach in Ontario.

On May 1, Bissell joined the PSS staff following the retirement of Bill Hartman, a highly respected educator and volleyball coach, and one of Bissell's former teachers.

Speaking with The Mirror prior to his retirement, Hartman said he was proud to see Bissell returning as a teacher and said he would grow into both a respected teacher and successful coach.

"Bill is the man. He is the kind of teacher and coach everyone wants to be. As a teacher, you couldn't have a better role model than Bill," said Bissell.

The fact Bissell now has a small office located only feet from where Hartman hung his coaching whistle for nearly three decades, is something not lost on the 25-year-old.

Besides his own connection to the school as a student, Brad's father Brian, a retired teacher, has been coaching basketball at PSS for several years. In that way, coaching has always seemed like a natural fit when he stepped into the high school teaching environment.

"Not that I would feel obligated to coach. But it's more that other people did it (coach) for me. It's the time commitment that they put in. I feel the kids here deserve the same thing from me," he said.

As a child, Bissell went to basketball camps where his father was an instructor. Later he would instruct at summer baseball camps.

"I've always been interested in coaching basketball with my dad, so this provides me with that opportunity," he said.

On the day The Mirror interviewed Bissell, he had skateboarded to school and was sporting a lengthy hair and a full beard.

He feels that youthful appearance helps the students relate to him better, while still maintaining a professional teacher/ student relationship.

"I think it helps because they can go to the hallway and find out that I was a student here not that long ago. But they also talk to me and find out all the things I have done in the past seven years and all the things I have accomplished. I think they appreciate the hard work that it takes to get this far," said Bissell.

He also thinks that maybe he shares the same interests with them and can relate to some of the things that are going on in their daily lives.