Steve Wojciechowski facts for kids
Wojciechowski in 2010
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| Salt Lake City Stars | ||||||||||||||
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| Head coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | August 11, 1976 Severna Park, Maryland, U.S. |
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| High school | Cardinal Gibbons (Baltimore, Maryland) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Duke (1994–1998) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1998 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1998–1999 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1999–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA G League | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Pekaes Pruszków | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2014 | Duke (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2021 | Marquette | |||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Salt Lake City Stars | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Steven Michael Wojciechowski (born August 11, 1976), often called Wojo, is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Salt Lake City Stars. This team plays in the NBA G League, which is like a development league for the NBA.
Wojo used to play and coach for Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was also the head coach at Marquette University for seven seasons. He played as a point guard from 1994 to 1998.
Contents
Who is Steve Wojciechowski?
Playing Basketball
High School Days
Steve Wojciechowski finished high school in 1994 at Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a top high school player in the country. He was even chosen for the 1994 McDonald's All-American Team. This is a special game for the best high school basketball players in the U.S.
Playing for Duke
After high school, Wojo decided to play college basketball at Duke University. He was a very sought-after player.
During his first year at Duke, the team's coach, Mike Krzyzewski, had to take time off for health reasons. The team had a tough season, winning 13 games and losing 18. This was unusual for Duke basketball.
But things got much better in Wojo's last three years. The Duke Blue Devils won 74 games and lost only 26. In his senior year (1997–98), Wojo was a team captain. He helped lead Duke to a great record of 32 wins and 4 losses. They were ranked #1 in the country.
In the NCAA tournament that year, Duke almost made it to the championship. They lost a very close game to Kentucky, who went on to win the tournament.
In his senior year, Wojo was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year. This award goes to the best defensive player in college basketball.
Overall, Wojo played in 128 games for Duke. He started 88 of those games. He is one of Duke's top players for career steals (203) and assists (505). In 1997, he had 82 steals in one season, which was the second-highest number ever for a Duke player.
Steve was the first person in his family to go to college. He earned his bachelor's degree from Duke in 1998. After graduating, he played professional basketball in Poland for one year.
Becoming a Coach
Coaching at Duke
In 1999, Wojo returned to Duke University. He first worked in a business role and also helped with Duke basketball radio broadcasts.
Soon after, Coach Krzyzewski offered him a coaching job. Wojo became an assistant coach in 1999. He was promoted to associate coach in 2008. For 14 years, he helped coach Duke's "frontcourt" players (the taller players like centers and power forwards).
Many players he coached became great defenders or went on to play in the NBA. These include Shane Battier, Shelden Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Jabari Parker. During his time as an assistant coach, Duke won two NCAA championships, in 2001 and 2010.
Wojo also helped coach the USA National senior basketball team from 2006 to 2014. This team won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Coaching at Marquette
On April 1, 2014, Steve Wojciechowski became the head basketball coach at Marquette University. He took over from Buzz Williams.
At Marquette, Wojo's teams had a record of 124 wins and 93 losses. They made it to the NCAA tournament twice. After a tough first season, his teams had five winning seasons in a row. However, his time at Marquette ended after the 2020–2021 season.
He is now the head coach for the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G League.
