Darryl Wood took the gamble of his life to follow his dreams of becoming a basketball coach.
But the Scot reckons he can do more than just survive as Glasgow Rocks rookie boss after soaking up a master class in the art of management from two of footballâ€
s finest.
The 29-year-old was handed the job full-time in the summer following a caretaker stint last term but heâ€
ll still be one of the youngest chiefs on the sideline when the new British Basketball League season tips off on Friday.
Thatâ€
s meant learning on the fly while getting his team up to speed.
Yet an invite to pick the brains of Celtic and ex-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers provided enough top tips to fill a book and itâ€
s left him ready to cope with the pressure coming his way.
Wood said: “The biggest thing I took from talking to Brendan was how he came in and overhauled the whole organisation. Heâ€
d tried to influence everything.
“And that was something I took away: He didnâ€
t just come in and coach the team. He tried to drive everything forward. From how the admin staff worked to how the cleaners were. And he had a relationship with every single one of those people.
“Speaking to some of the staff there, heâ€
d made them change their ways in a really positive manner which is very unique. He operated at Liverpool which is a level above Celtic but he wanted to have that influence.
“And from every conversation weâ€
ve had, you see that passion about wanting to achieve.â€
Itâ€
s not just been the Parkhead supremo thatâ€
s got Woodâ€
s brain ticking over – with his personal study plan poring over ideas from rugby and elsewhere.
The biggest eye-opener, he claims, was watching Amazonâ€
s fly on the wall documentary about Manchester City and seeing just how Pep Guardiola had his players jumping through hoops for him.
And he said: “For me watching the series, Pep was phenomenal in his body language, how he related to players. That might just be just the edited highlights but you canâ€
t argue with his success.
“And you do take things away from it. He has a unique balance of demanding a lot from his players but also being for them every step of the way. Iâ€
d like to have that here.â€
Four years ago, Wood was managing a nightclub in Falkirk but praying a club would give him a chance to call the tune.
Now, heâ€
s got a golden shot to bring trophies to the Emirates Arena in the Rocks 20th season on the court.
A steady job, with decent prospects. Payback for betting on himself when Scottish League outfit Dunfermline Reign handed him a foot on the ladder – but on a bargain basement wage.
And he said: “It was really tough. Itâ€
s a long way off highly-paid. Someone hooked me up with a vehicle. Local sponsors supported me.
“But I was living – just. I had to remove some of the extravagance around my life. That led to some build-up of debt. Nothing major.
“The first two years I dropped close to half what Iâ€
d been earning as a nightclub manager so those two years were a grind for me in how I lived and get by. But looking back now, it was totally worth it and itâ€
s paying off.â€
With a massively revamped squad ready to shoot for the title when the Scots visit London Lions in Fridayâ€
s opener, Woodâ€
s hoping heâ€
ll be the one popping the champagne by next summer rather than serving it up.
And he said: “From our chemistry, and the way that we could play, itâ€
s not unrealistic that weâ€
ve recruited well enough to win something this year.â€
A version of this article originally appeared in the Sunday Mail
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