photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High head coach Nick Wood puts his arms up in disbelief of a call made by the refs against Olathe North Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Olathe.

Lawrence boys basketball coach Nick Wood is stepping down from the position to take over as the school’s athletic director and assistant principal, starting July 1.

“Lawrence High School and this community has provided me with so much, and I feel as if it’s important to do my absolute best to give back to it and help provide these kids with experiences that I had growing up,” Wood said.

This isn’t the first time Wood has held the position. Back in the summer of 2020, Wood helped the school’s sports teams navigate the COVID-19 pandemic as the athletic director, but he stepped down a year later. In 2023, Wood took over as the head coach of the boys basketball team.

Wood felt compelled to step into this role as Lawrence High School deals with the recent death of former principal Quentin Rials in May.

“There’s no secret that the end of the school year was very tough on Lawrence High,” Wood said. “I just feel like this was an opportunity to come in at a more global level and do the best I possibly can to honor Quentin and help provide some leadership for our school.”

Wood will replace Patrick Graham, who had occupied the role for two years and wrote in a text message that he stepped down and is “off to new adventures.”

Wood will be working closely with Mike Gillman, who has been named the school’s interim principal. Having worked with him over the last few years helps the two have a strong relationship.

For the meantime, Wood is still working in his role as the boys basketball coach. The team has summer training sessions through June that includes practices, a summer camp at Pittsburg State and a recent team showcase in Missouri.

“It was rather difficult, because I love that basketball program — it means the world to me,” Wood said. “But I view it as an opportunity to make us even better, even stronger, and take this thing to another level. So I’m excited to help that continue to grow.”

Wood spoke with the team soon after making the decision and made sure to remind the players that he’ll still be around, just in a different role.

“I will still be here for them day in and day out,” Wood said. “It is just kind of more of a GM type role.”

When it comes to the next boys basketball coach for Lawrence, Wood said he’s hoping to have the position filled by the time school starts, but that it’s important to not rush. There are a few qualities he’d like to see in the next coach, including someone with ties to the program who understands the culture, but said that he wants to do the “due diligence” to find the right leader for the team.

“You want to have somebody that’s extremely experienced from an X’s and O’s standpoint,” Wood said. “You want to have somebody that’s experienced running a program… I think there has been an amazing foundation laid over these past couple years, and these kids are ready to take that next step, and we’ll make sure we find the right person to lead them that way.”