Eager for an Encore : Former Cal State Fullerton Standout Leon Wood, Plagued by Foot Injuries, Might Play Again in CBA

The itch came back last fall, and it had nothing to do with the cast that was rubbing against Leon Wood’s foot, ankle and shin.

It had plenty to do with the footage from NBA training camps being beamed into Wood’s living room, courtesy of ESPN.

Wood, the former Cal State Fullerton All-American who played parts of six seasons in the NBA, announced last summer that his playing career was over.

Chronic foot injuries, similar to those that plagued Bill Walton, had taken a toll on Wood, who finally underwent surgery in May after finishing the 1990-91 season with the Rapid City (S.D.) Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Assn.

Wood, 29, had hoped to get into coaching when his playing days were done, and he seemed content when he landed a job as part-time assistant at Fullerton.

Then NBA teams rolled into training camps last fall, highlights of exhibition games began to roll on TV and Wood had this sudden urge to roll off the couch and onto a hardwood floor--preferably one without a Persian rug.

“I had no intention of playing again after I had surgery,” said Wood, a member of the gold medal-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic team and Cal State Fullerton’s career leader in points (1,876), assists (744) and free-throw percentage (.811). “But NBA training camps came around, I was home looking at ESPN, and I started to get the itch again. I got hungry. I went to my doctor and told him I was thinking about playing again, and he said, ‘I knew you would.’ ”

Wood has spent this season on the Titan bench, working under Fullerton Coach John Sneed, but it appears he won’t finish the season there.

The 6-foot-3 guard got a call Sunday from the Thrillers, who are down to 10 players because of injuries and asked Wood to return. Wood visited a foot specialist Tuesday in New Jersey, received clearance to play, and flew to Rapid City Wednesday.

If Wood passes a series of physical examinations today and next week, which he says shouldn’t be a problem, he’ll join the team for the second half of the season.

“It all happened so fast, but this is a good chance to get back in the league,” Wood said by telephone from Rapid City. “It’s kind of an awkward situation, leaving Fullerton in the middle of the season, but this is something I had to do.”

Wood’s wife, Tia, can vouch for that.

“He’s been so anxious to play, he’s driving me nuts,” Tia said. “It’s not out of his system, and playing in parks isn’t enough anymore. He wants the fans, the pay, the excitement of playing in a professional league.”

Ideally, that league would be the NBA, but Wood knows that’s a longshot. Several European teams have expressed interest in Wood, and if he plays well enough to attract an offer, he hopes to sign with a team in Germany or France for next season.

“Everyone has told me I should play until I can’t play anymore,” Wood said. “Coaching opportunities will always be there, but playing opportunities won’t. So I’m going to play until I can’t go any longer.”

Which means, he’ll play as long as his ankles and feet hold up. Wood was inactive for about seven months after surgery but has been playing regularly for the past few months and feels as though he’s in good shape.

Still, he was spending as much time in the Fullerton training room after practices as the Titan players.

“I’m 29, but my ankles feel like they’re 35,” Wood said. “I’m not going to be dunking or anything like that. I’ll have to play a mind game, be selective like (Atlanta Hawk guard) Maurice Cheeks.”

That’s why Wood prefers to play overseas. In Germany, for instance, the action isn’t as fast or as physical as it is in the NBA, games consist of 20-minute halves, zone defenses are allowed, and the season runs only 40 to 50 games long.

“That suits me a lot better right now,” Wood said.

The salary would be a nice fit, too. Wood believes he can make $200,000-$300,000 a year playing in Europe, and with a growing family--he and his wife are expecting their second child in July--there’s no time like the present to plan for the future.

“Financially, I’m fine because I saved a lot of money when I was playing,” said Wood, a first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. “I bought a six-bedroom house in Marina del Rey seven years ago, sold it last year, and I made quite a bit on that. But I want to try to bring in three or four more years of (professional basketball salary) to help the kids.”

When he’s finally done playing, Wood plans to resume his coaching career, but he’s not sure he wants to work with kids.

Nothing against college players--Wood has enjoyed this season and learned a lot at Fullerton--but he’d rather coach on the professional level, either in the CBA or NBA, where all he has to worry about is the game.

“I think I know the in’s and outs of the game, the X’s and O’s, pretty well, but as far as dealing with 18- to 22-year olds, I’ve got a lot to learn,” Wood said. “You have so much more responsibility as a college coach--you have to make sure kids go to class and get apartments. You have to recruit high school kids and talk to their moms.

“At the pro level, it’s all about who can play. If you can play, you stay and if you can’t, you’re cut. There are no excuses for being late for practice, like you woke up late or didn’t have a ride. You’re late, you get fined.”

Wood, who was the low man on the Titan totem pole, spent most of his days this season dropping off and picking up game tapes, answering the phones, corresponding with the players’ teachers. He was usually responsible for bed checks on the road.

Though he quickly developed a reputation as one of the Big West Conference’s nattiest dressers, he didn’t do much coaching on game nights.

His primary coaching duty was to prepare the Titan gray team, the second-stringers who often run opponents’ plays in practice and are expected to push the starters.

“I’m pretty much on-call, I do whatever John needs,” Wood said in a recent interview. “But that doesn’t bother me. It’s like being a rookie--you’ve got to carry the balls. It’s all part of the game. I have no problem with that.”

Wood believes that all those seasons playing point guard, which requires a coach-on-the-floor type mentality, will ease the transition from playing to coaching.

“When you play under guys like Bobby Knight, you’ve got to think like him, know how he coaches, and take that to the floor,” Wood said. “That’s why I think it will be easy for me to coach.”

Will Wood try to pattern his style after Knight, the fiery Indiana coach who also coached the 1984 Olympic team? Probably not, but there might be some similarities.

“Most of my coaches have been screamers, guys like Knight and (former Titan Coach) George McQuarn,” Wood said. “I like guys like that because I always responded better.

“I may not be like Knight, but I’ll scream a lot. I’d be lying if I said I’ll be a calm guy. I want the best out of myself and my players, and I want to be strict. Not crazy, but strict.”