After traveling the globe to play basketball, Constantin Popa got his first real job selling office equipment. He then moved on to real estate and mortgages.

“I bounced around until I could find what I really wanted to do,” said the soft-spoken Popa, who played for the University of Miami.

He says he has finally found the right job.

Popa, 35, is in his second season as the girls’ varsity basketball coach at Cypress Bay High. He also is a special education teacher at the Weston school.

“I always saw myself getting into coaching,” said the 7-foot-3 Popa. “It was just the right place and the right time. I didn’t know what to expect when I started, but I was very excited about the opportunity.”

Popa, who spent most of his pro career playing in Israel, retired in 2001 and returned to South Florida. He said coaching was always on his mind.

“When I first came back to the U.S., I didn’t want to do anything with basketball,” he said. “Then, little by little, my son got me back into it. He got a little older, and I started coaching his teams and different camps.”

Popa arrived at Cypress Bay last year after boys’ basketball coach Jason Looky approached him about working a summer camp.

Looky said he felt fortunate to have Popa on the staff.

“You don’t get too many chances to get a high-profile guy with that much experience,” he said. “Working with him over the summer, I could tell right away he would be a perfect fit because he really enjoyed working with the kids.”

The Lightning struggled last season and finished 7-14.

“Last year we started from scratch,” he said. “It was like, ‘OK, who wants to play? Come on over.’ When I took the job, everybody was like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ I said of course. But I knew it was going to be a rough year.”

He has high hopes for this year’s squad, which is 2-3 and has yet to play a game against District 12-6A competition.

“Now they know me and I know them,” he said. “We definitely should be better.”

His players couldn’t be happier with his coaching style.

“He’s not a screamer,” said junior guard Ashley Franco. “He motivates us in a positive way. He’s always clapping like, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK.’ But when I first met him he seemed like this humongous, tall guy. Anyone who just sees him would be intimidated. But he’s a gentle giant.”

Jennifer Ceant, a junior center, agrees.

“He makes sure he gets his point across, but never screams,” she said. “He played the same position so he tells me what the refs look for and what I can and cannot do.”

Ceant also was mesmerized by his height.

“I was shocked when I first met him because I never saw anyone that tall,” she said. “But when he introduced himself, he was very nice.”

Popa said none of his players were familiar with his past.

“They didn’t know who I was,” he said. “Just some really tall guy. But some of their parents knew who I was.”

A long road traveled

Popa played for the Hurricanes from 1991-95. He’s the school’s tallest player on record and also is the all-time leader in blocked shots (263) and 10th in rebounds (701).

Miami’s recruiting of Popa wasn’t easy. Then-UM coach Leonard Hamilton tried for several months to contact Popa, who was born and lived in Romania. At 16, Popa had to quit school in Bucharest after his father died to help support his family.

Hamilton had become aware of Popa through a Swedish player he coached at Oklahoma State. The Swede played against Popa’s Romanian national team in a European tournament, and Hamilton asked him to videotape the game.

“He took the tape back to show coach Hamilton,” Popa said. “That’s how the whole thing started. It was hard for him to reach me because Romania was still under Communist regime. We were not allowed to talk to anybody. He was able to get a hold of me somehow, and eventually we connected. Then the Communist [party] collapsed, so I had the freedom to go.”

Popa, who barely spoke any English upon arriving in the United States, had to attend a prep school (Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia) for a year before he was able to enroll at UM because he didn’t meet academic transfer requirements.

Recovering from a broken collarbone, Popa played only a few games at Fork Union.

NBA days

Popa was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round (No. 53 overall) of the 1995 draft, the year of the NBA lockout.

“After the draft the league was shut down,” said Popa, whose agent at the time was David Falk, who also represented Michael Jordan. “The last thing we talked about when I got drafted was that they wanted me to get bigger and stronger.”

Popa said he hired a nutritionist to work on his diet and gained 50 pounds, going from 217 to 267. He also spent time working with Miami Heat broadcaster Tony Fiorentino, a Heat assistant coach at the time.

“I was skinny my whole life,” he said. “But I knew I had to put on a lot of weight, which was not good. That’s when I injured [several] discs in my back. My body couldn’t take it. I didn’t even make it through training camp. I was done.”

Popa never played a game for the Clippers.

He said his injuries didn’t require surgery, but it took a lengthy rehab for him to resume his career.

“They didn’t think I was going to get healthy, so they waived me,” he said.

From CBA to overseas

Popa joined the Florida Beachdogs of the Continental Basketball Association in 1996, playing for coach Eric Musselman.

“I wasn’t healthy enough, but I had to go and make some money and play,” Popa said. “I got a little healthier and lost the weight.”

After six weeks, Popa signed a contract to play for Pau Ortez in France. After his team won the French championship, he landed a multi-year deal in Israel.

Why Israel? Popa said it was a better opportunity.

“My wife [Michelle] is Jewish, and I got nationalized in Israel,” he said. “When you play as a nationalized player there’s a lot more [roster] spots available for you.”

Popa played for Maccabi Tel Aviv for four years (1997-2000). He then played one season for Hapoel in Jerusalem.

Popa said his wife fled the Middle East out of fear while he finished out his contract in Jerusalem.

“Things started getting out of control from the political situation,” he said because of the rash of suicide bombings in the region. “My wife took the kids and said, ‘I’m going back home. I don’t want to be here anymore.’

The Popas first lived in Weston but moved to Miramar where his home had to be fitted with custom, eight-foot doorways. They have five children: Daniella, 10; Tristan, 8; Dayana, 7; Tatiana, 3; and Dominique, 1.

“I played six years of professional basketball,” Popa said. “Things didn’t work out in the NBA, but I have no regrets. I moved on a long time ago.”

Keven Lerner can be reached at .

THE ROAD TO CYPRESS BAY

Highlights of Constantin Popa’s career.

Played for national team while in high school in Romania.

Attended Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia in 1990.

Recruited by former UM coach Leonard Hamilton; played for the Hurricanes from 1991-95.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round (No. 53 overall) of the 1995 NBA draft.

Joined the Florida Beachdogs of the Continental Basketball Association in 1996.

Played for Pau Ortez in France; won championship 1996.

Moved to Israel for multi-year deal; played for Maccabi Tel Aviv 1997-2000.

Played for Hapoel in Jerusalem in 2001.

Began coaching at Cypress Bay High 2005.