Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Steve Wojciechowski has a few more quiet moments these days.
For years, Wojciechowski had a to-do list that never seemed to get shorter: Call recruits, connect with donors, check on players' NIL statuses, reach out to AAU coaches. Oh, and if time allows, actually coach.
College basketball coaches have to wear a lot of different hats. They have to be a CEO, a human resource rep, a sales manager, and everything in between. Wojciechowski understands that more than most after over 20 high-profile years at the college level.
"The game of basketball and basketball in general isn't always on the top of the list when you meet with your staff, because there's so many other things to coordinate that affect your team and your program," Wojciechowski said.
Now? It's back to being all about the game he loves. Wojciechowski, who spent 14 years as an assistant at Duke and seven years as the head coach at Marquette, is away from the spotlight as the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars.
But that's just fine with him.
"Ultimately, the reason I got into coaching — and that can be hijacked in the business of it, especially at high-level college sports — is to help people," he said. "I love seeing results of guys getting better. I love it when guys can say, 'You really helped me.' I love that. That's my favorite thing about coaching."
That much was clear as he started running down the successes from last season.
He smiled like a proud father as he described Jason Preston and Isaiah Miller's career-best seasons. Or how Taevion Kinsey went from struggling with his shot early to being the top 3-point shooter in the G League. Or how Johnny Juzang improved enough to sign a full-time contract with the Jazz this offseason.
"I really loved coaching Johnny," Wojciechowski said. "When you talk about being where your feet are, he did a good job of that. And he had a really good year for us, improved in a lot of different ways, and then that was able to be translated at the end of the year for the Jazz."
"Be where your feet are" is one of the pieces of advice Wojciechowski always gives his players. No one dreams of being in the G League, but it's a place — like Juzang and plenty of others have — that can help get you in the door of the NBA. To Wojciechowski, his job is to help players get a foot in that door.
The Jazz wanted to see Juzang play more as a shooter than an overall scorer, so he used the G League to get him there. In April, in a late-season game with the Jazz, he went 7-for-8 from 3-point range.
"The overwhelming majority of NBA players are role players," Wojciechowski said. "They're going to play off the best players in the organization. Your ability to embrace that identity is going to get you where you want to go. It's hard because who they need to be and who they want to be are often very different."
Wojciechowski thinks Juzang's route (undrafted to the G League to an NBA deal) should provide hope for others on the team.
"It's not the destination for, really, anybody in the G League," he said. "And so if I'm able to use my basketball experiences to help a guy, whether it's on the court or off the court, that's where I find my most joy."
The Stars are likely not Wojciechowski's final destination either, but he's giving himself the same advice he gives his players: Be in the moment.
He's focused on learning from the Jazz coaching staff (he often is at the Jazz facility picking the brains of Will Hardy and his staff) and he's been given the freedom to experiment with his own coaching, too.
Is an NBA bench job in his future? Maybe, or maybe not. For now, though, he's relishing this part of his journey.
"All that stuff tends to take care of itself," he said. "I've learned I love the G League. The NBA is the highest level of basketball, but what my path holds for me is being where my feet are, and helping the Micah Potters and the Johnny Juzangs and the Jason Prestsons of the world."
