Bradley Smet was formally announced as the new Athletic Director (AD) during the Oct. 14 school board meeting, PHS Principal Adam Littlefield said. Smet began his role as the Director of Athletics the week of October 5.
“[Smet] is very energetic and enthusiastic,” Littlefield said. “The way he demonstrated his knowledge and passion was something that we were really pleased to see.”
Due to recent budget cuts, the AD position has been reduced from a 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) job to 0.6 FTE, Littlefield said. 1.0 FTE refers to a full salary with full benefits. The vacancy arose when the previous AD, Alphonso Powell, left the position in early August. Since then, Littlefield has acted as the interim AD, assuming the position and its responsibilities until the job was filled.
“It’s been busy, that’s for sure,” Littlefield said. “From the outside it might not look like there’s a lot going on, but since August, we have spent a lot of time planning for the potential resumption of sports at PHS.”
Smet said that he had previously spent seven years coaching high school football, four years coaching baseball, and one year coaching basketball at two different schools in San Luis Obispo County. He has previous experience as an AD, acting as the interim AD for Templeton High School. He also obtained his master’s degree in athletic administration.
“Once I saw that Piedmont was out there flying the job, I jumped on it right away,” Smet said. “I just absolutely love the town and wanted to be a part of what was going on there.”
Littlefield said that after applications for the AD position were posted online, several selected applicants were interviewed by a panel of PHS and MHS administrators, representatives from the boosters club, coaches, parents, and students. Chosen applicants then went through another round of interviews, this time with Littlefield and Superintendent Randall Booker, who officially offered the position to Smet.
Littlefield said that he and Smet have been working together virtually. “One thing that we’ve been working on is a survey for students regarding their interest in sports in the spring, which may have an impact on the sports that we offer,” Littlefield said, “But now that he’s on board, I’m starting to provide [Smet] the information that he needs to start making decisions and lead the athletic department.” The survey was sent out to PHS students on Oct. 21.
Littlefield said that going forward, he and Smet will be working together with the North Coast Section (NCS) and the Alameda County Public Health Department to address possible ways to restart high school sports in effective and secure manners. 
“I am excited about the new athletic director being hired this year, and hopefully we can have sports in the winter and spring,” junior Conner Curtis said. “I am looking forward to getting back out on the field.”
Many student athletes are excited about the possibility of resuming sports for the winter and spring seasons. “A lot of people depend on high school sports for colleges and scholarships, so it can be really important,” sophomore Lila Town said. “I think it would be great to go back to school sports, if we’re able to do that in a safe way for everyone.”
Another issue is that due to budget cuts, there will be no more assistant coaches, Littlefield said. Littlefield, Smet, and Booker will also be meeting to discuss the possibility of holding conditioning outside of school.
“There’s definitely been, from what I understand, a long tradition of great athletics, great students, in pretty much
the whole community that has been built at Piedmont High School,” Smet said. “It really excites me getting to know [Piedmonters], getting to work with you guys, and just getting to be a part of something so special that you guys got going on there.”