DARRYL Wood won a lottery of sorts with his appointment this summer as the Glasgow Rocks head coach, aged just 29.
Yet it was only four years ago that he faced a gamble at long odds: whether to pursue the improbable dream of realising a career open to a precious few in Scotland, or continuing with an agreeable role in charge of a nightclub in Falkirk.
Wood bet on himself and accepted a lowly-paid role with Scottish League side Dunfermline Reign. That led to a part-time position with Women’s BBL outfit Caledonia Pride and now, via a transitional caretaker spell last term, to a permanent gig at the Emirates Arena.
“If I hadn’t taken the gamble, I’d have been annoyed at myself,” he says. “Whereas if at least I gambled and failed, I can live easy. But I was lucky – my parents supported me and said they’d help if I couldn’t pay the mortgage. I had that safety net. It took away some of the risk.”
With the new British Basketball League campaign tipping off on Friday, Wood has relied heavily on a brains trust that includes the veteran Great Britain caps Kieron Achara and Gareth Murray in recruiting a squad for the club’s 20th anniversary season.
It's all unchartered territory, as has been the burden of scheming and meshing his side as they approach an opening night trip to London Lions. It is enjoyable and challenging, he says.
Next, the trick is to repay the Rocks immense show of faith in an unproven playcaller. But he admits: “I’m caught in two minds at the moment between whether I really want to do the best thing for Scottish basketball or go and be the highest-level coach I can be. I’ve not fully made up my mind. I want to get through this season first and then evaluate.”
The presumption is that Leicester Riders, who will this week become the first British side in a decade to enter European competition, will be irresistible in the defence of their domestic supremacy.
“To grind Leicester out over a league season will be very tough” Wood says. “But if we click, there is no-one we should fear in terms of a one-off game.”
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