Not many athletes acquire the basketball skill sets needed in a short amount of time. It takes years to grasp the coordination, the knowledge, and the mind set. There happens to be a basketball player at McKay High School that's finding success despite his life of hardship in Hawaii where he once lived.
Darrell Woods (pronounced Duh-rail) was born in Guam. Four years later his family moved to Hawaii. He is the son of Demitrius Woods and Marsen Sally. Darrell has four half sisters and four half brothers that are much older -- we're talking fifteen years apart. One of his half brothers has passed away.
He attended Queen Ka'ahumanu Elementary School and Stevenson Middle School, both in Honolulu, Hawaii. His family did not have much money and times were very hard. It was during the middle-school days that he was inspired to start playing basketball. He would watch his dad play at different places. He decided to give it try.
"I didn't really know anything about the game. I just watched my dad and decided to start playing. It was mostly street ball that I played ... with my Islander group of friends," Darrell said.
Darrell always looked up to his half sister, Marie -- everyone used to call her "Boo Boo". Unfortunately, Marie was running around with the bad crowds -- getting into trouble, smoking, drinking, etc. Darrell fell into that trap and started making poor decisions. His parents started thinking of ways to remove Darrell from the negative environment -- he was getting ready to enter high school.
With a dysfunctional family and not much money, his parents were evicted from their apartment. The older siblings had moved out by this time. With too much pride and a strong independent mentality, Demitrius and Marsen refused assistance from their relatives -- they did not want charity. Darrell moved in with his relatives there in Hawaii, but his mom and dad chose to live in their car.
"My parents wanted a better environment for me. One of my half sisters, Murina, was living in Oregon. They sent me to Salem to live with her -- she became my legal guardian," Darrell said.
Shortly after, his parents separated. His dad moved to Seattle and his mom stayed in Hawaii. Darrell has always been close with his mom and dad -- he has always made it a point to keep communications open with phone calls from time to time.
Entering a new school and a new state was a huge adjustment -- emotionally, physically, and mentally. Without his parents and with a transfer into a new family was like a dream of another world -- it was real life. Murina has a family of six kids, and now, seven. She welcomed Darrell and does whatever she can to help him despite the financial struggles with a large family.
Darrell started hanging out with a great group of Islanders from Salem that played basketball at McKay High School. Glenn, Akson, and Israel Moses, encouraged him to go out for the freshman basketball team.
"I never played organized basketball in my life. I was not a person that could be coached at that time. I didn't know anything about the basketball skills -- it was frustrating," Darrell said.
In 2012, his freshman year at McKay High School, proved to be a depressing year full of confusion, disappointments, and a major adaptation. He was struggling with grades and he was adjusting to his new large family at home. Darrell was cut from the freshman team to put a cap on his first year at McKay High School.
He gave this freshman-downslide episode plenty of thought. He wasn't ready to give up on something he really wanted. His Islander friends, once again, were looking out for him. Darrell wanted a better future for himself.
He gives credit to, Israel Moses, a former McKay point guard who found success there in basketball. Israel started helping Darrell -- explaining to him about defense and offense and basic fundamental skills. The summer was full of playing basketball with a group of Islanders that became his friends.
"My friends showed me not only how to play better basketball, but also how to treat people the right way. I was never like that before. Islanders have a lot of faith in God. They showed me how to love people," Darrell said.
Darrell worked his tail off that summer, he found a love for basketball and he worked extremely hard to get better. He was adapting well his sophomore year and basketball tryouts had arrived once again. The McKay coaching staff saw something in Darrell that led them to believe he could possibly play on the JV team. Darrell's athleticism and intense play earned him a spot.
"When I was playing JV, Coach Bryan Huber showed me some moves in the low-post area. He was the first coach I had in an organized basketball team," Darrell said.
Darrell Woods drives on a North Salem defender. Photo by Kent Brewer
Wearing #22 on his jersey as a junior, Darrell had grown to be 6' 0" and had made great progress the previous season as a sophomore -- improvements were noticeable by leaps and bounds. Head Coach Dean Sanderson moved him up to the varsity team where he became one of the starting five. Dean is the type of coach that teaches kids to be responsible. He looks out for their future. It doesn't matter how talented a player is, if he skips class or shows up late to practice, he'll pay the price like any other team member. This was all new to Darrell but he was adapting very well. He joined Tristen Wilson in playing one of the two post/forward positions.
Darrell was utilizing his quickness and speed on the basketball floor, but his control at times was unattainable. The lack of experience was noticeable in that area. He was learning as much as he could through a tough-way-to-learn road. McKay did not have much height on the team and Darrell's rebounding ability was needed. His shooting needed much improvement. He was better at lay-ups than outside shots. The needed skills he would need to learn quickly was three-point shooting and free-throw shooting.
At the end of his junior year, his team, the McKay Royal Scots, did not make the playoffs, but Darrell played one of his best games in the GVC League (Greater Valley Conference). Against the Sprague Olympians, he scored 19 points and pulled down 15 rebounds -- a double-double!
"That was definitely my best memory of my basketball career so far. I remember because I had a choir concert the same night. Coach worked out a solution with the choir teacher. I would play the game and then join the choir at the concert right after the game, which was being played at McKay. Everyone in the choir was telling me how I better score a lot of points if I wasn't going to be at the concert. It was all in good fun - I guess I met their request," Darrell said with a smile.
Darrell was blending in very well with teammates like Tristen Wilson, Demeris Bailey, Kevin Aguilar, Jon Gray, and Glenn. Darrell's personality is more of a loner-type where he recharges by being alone -- he enjoys his space from time to time, and he always makes time to hang out with his friends and to adapt to their interests.
"Basketball has changed me to become a better person and athlete. Travel cards, which are like a progress reports have helped me bring my grades up. Going into my senior year I have decided that I really want to play college basketball," Darrell said.
The summer of 2015, prior to his senior year, had arrived. Darrell received word that his dad had died of a heart attack. His dad always found a way to provide what his son needed despite the fact that he had been living in Seattle without much money. His parents had reunited and they were both living in Hawaii again.
"That was tough for me -- I was close with my dad. I remember asking my dad for fifty dollars for a trip our team was making to a Gonzaga basketball camp. He told me that he was going to give me more than fifty dollars. I knew he didn't have much but he always found a way to give me more than I needed," Darrell said.
During the summer, Darrell went to work on his shooting skills. He needed to develop an outside shot better than what he had. Coaches are allowed to work with two athletes at a time during the off-season. Assistant Coach Matt Espinoza (Coach Noza) helped Darrell with his shooting form and basketball skill sets during the summer.
"Coach Noza was the person that really opened my eyes on high school basketball. He taught me so much. My shooting form, different kinds of moves, ball handling, footing, and much more. It was usually myself and Kevin Aguilar that showed up to work during the summer. During football season, we continued since most of the guys played football," Darrell said.
Darrell Woods has overcome many obstacles and is looking toward the future with his short-term goal of helping his team win a league title -- he likes to dream big. He would also like to bring the grades up to above average. His long-term goal is to play college basketball somewhere and receive a college degree. As far as a career after basketball, he's still undecided.
"Darrell wants to be great. He is beginning to develop into more of a leader this year. I think he has the potential to play at the next level. He has improved his outside shooting tremendously," Coach Noza said.
It's always great to hear from the coaching staff as seniors approach the end of their career of high school basketball. I've had the honor of watching the hard work coaches put in for their team. A lot of the time is volunteer, especially during the summers.
"Darrell is a great kid. His story, while not exactly like other players, is a great representation of McKay Basketball and the resiliency our kids show to have success on and off the court. I'm excited to watch him as a senior and look forward to his future success," Head Coach Dean Sanderson said.
I pray that this young man reaches his dream and that he stays healthy his entire senior year. His work ethic is such a great example for many. Basketball has given Darrell a safe environment to have fun and to be around people that care deeply about him. The McKay basketball coaching staff has done a great job helping Darrell become a fine young man as they do with many athletes.
Darrell, What are your favorite hobbies?
Basketball, singing, and family time
Who is your favorite NBA team?
Chicago Bulls
What is your GPA?
Close to a 3.0
What advice can you give young athletes?
Work hard, even when you think you're that guy. If I would have worked as hard as I am now when I was a freshman, I'd be much better.