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, reach out to donors, check on players’ NIL status, contact AAU coaches. Oh, and if time permits, actually coach.
College basketball coaches have a lot of responsibilities. They have to be CEOs, human resources representatives, sales managers and everything in between. Wojciechowski understands that better than anyone after more than 20 years at the college level.
“The game of basketball and basketball in general isn’t always at the top of your list when you meet with your staff because there are so many other things to coordinate that affect your team and your program,” Wojciechowski said.
And now? He’s back to the game he loves. Wojciechowski, who spent 14 years as an assistant at Duke and seven years as the head coach at Marquette, is out of the spotlight as the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars.
But it suits him very well.
“Ultimately, the reason I got into coaching — and this can be misused in the business, especially in high-level college sports — is to help people,” he said. “I love seeing guys improve. I love when guys can say, ‘You really helped me.’ I love that. That’s my favorite part of coaching.”
This became evident when he began to list last season’s successes.
He smiled like a proud father as he described the best seasons of Jason Preston and Isaiah Miller. Or how Tavion Kingsley went from struggling to a top-notch three-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 enjoyed coaching Johnny,” Wojciechowski said. “When you talk about staying on track, he did a great job. And he had a really good year for us, he improved in a lot of ways, and that was able to translate at the end of the year for the Jazz.”
“Be where you put your foot,” is one of the pieces of advice Wojciechowski always gives his players. No one dreams of playing in the G League, but it’s a place — like Juzang and many others — that can help you get through the door to the NBA. For Wojciechowski, his job is to help players get a foot in that door.
The Jazz wanted Juzang to play more like a shooter than a scorer, so they used the G League to do just that. In April, in a late-season game with the Jazz, he made 7 of 8 three-pointers.
“The vast majority of NBA players are role players,” Wojciechowski said. “They’re going to play against the best players in the organization. Your ability to embrace that identity will get you where you want to go. It’s tough because what they need to be and what they want to be are often very different.”
Wojciechowski believes Juzang’s journey (undrafted in the G League and then with an NBA contract) should give hope to the other members of the team.
“That’s not really anybody’s destination in the G League,” he said. “And so if I can use my basketball experience to help a guy, whether it’s on the court or off the court, that’s where I find the most joy.”
The Stars probably aren’t Wojciechowski’s final destination, either, but he gives himself the same advice he gives his players: live in the moment.
He has focused on learning from the Jazz coaching staff (he is often at the Jazz to interact with Will Hardy and his staff) and he has had the freedom to experiment with his own coaching as well.
Is an NBA bench job in his future? Maybe, maybe not. For now, though, he’s enjoying this part of his journey.
“It all works itself out,” he said. “I’ve learned that I love the G League. The NBA is the highest level of basketball, but what I have to do is stay where I am and help the Micah Potters, Johnny Juzangs and Jason Prestsons of the world.”
