Building a rapport, Galanopoulos feels, is imperative in coaching and he believes it is his niche.
"It was something I thought about when I was 17 in high school where I had been coaching and playing."
The former Chicago Bulls intern was coaching youngsters when it dawned on him how much he loved the game and could not see himself doing anything else in his life.
"I told my dad I wanted to be an NBA basketball coach. I was in love with it and I watched the NBA all the time, so I thought if I wanted to do something, why not try to be the best at it at the highest level?"
His father, Dean, a lawyer who had got him a driveway hoop at 6, supported him. So did mother Christine and Galanopoulos' siblings, sister Alexandra, 29, who runs a clothing/shoe business with their mother, and younger brother Stephen, 21, who has designs on becoming a Major League Baseball agent.
"They [parents] both got behind me, saying if I wanted to do it, they were there for emotional support.
"They said if it was my dream, follow it, so they have been there every step of the way."
For Galanopoulos, confidence in his ability and reinforcement he received from incremental gains gave him a sense of finality in his chosen career.
"It's great to love something and want to do it but I think the more I worked in coaching and got to a higher level, I really felt comfortable in my own skin talking to people, speaking publicly and coaching them."
However, the Indiana University graduate finds mentoring adults is different when juxtaposed with children.
"They are obviously more mature and can be stuck in their ways."
When considering adults professionals, he suspects, coaches are looking for those who can build pathways to communicate while in turn the players are seeking an assurance that the coach cares about them.
He was coaching at NBADL for three years with the Bakersfield Jam (California), an affiliate of the Phoenix Suns, but a change of staff put him out of the equation for three months.
A mutual friend of his and Flynn at Bakersfield threw Galanopoulos' name into the mix for the Hawks' stint and the rest was history.
Nelson Giants coach Tim Fanning, who was Flynn's assistant, had also endorsed the NBL.
"He said if I wanted to get out here and broaden my horizon, it would be a good cultural experience and a good basketball one as well.
"If I was 35 with a wife and kids, I'm not so sure I'd be coming to New Zealand."
He hit the Google engine and liked the amazing scenery of Hawke's Bay and its twin cities.
"You never know what you're going to get until you come here so it's been nothing short of a great experience for me.
"These players are doing well and they want to be better so as a coach, you have to do your best to help them improve, individually and as a team."
