After a standout playing career at Duke that included National Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1998, Steve Wojciechowski returned as an assistant coach for Mike Krzyzewski in 1999-2000. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach in the summer of 2008.
Since Wojciechowski joined the Duke staff, the Blue Devils have posted an incredible 291-60 record and won seven ACC Tournament championships.
Wojciechowski also served as a court coach and scout for Mike Krzyzewski, assisting the USA Basketball Senior National Team staff with on-court duties as well as game preparation from 2006 through the program’s gold medal performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In his first season as a coach, he was instrumental in leading Duke, with seven freshmen on its roster, to a 29-5 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title (15-1), the 2000 ACC Tournament championship, an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance and the No. 1 ranking in both major polls following the regular season.
Working primarily with Duke’s inside players, Wojciechowski’s second year was even better as the Blue Devils won the national championship in 2001, while also capturing the ACC regular season and tournament crowns and posting a 35-4 record. His influence was evident throughout the year, from the emergence of Casey Sanders as a bona fide inside presence to Reggie Love’s strong performances in the ACC Tournament to Carlos Boozer’s inspired play at the Final Four after missing six games and playing a limited role in the East Regional semifinal and final. Wojciechowski saw one of his former teammates and pupils, Shane Battier, earn the consensus National Player of the Year award as well as National Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.
“When you come to Duke,” said Wojciechowski following Duke’s third NCAA title in 11 seasons in 2001, “every year your goal is the national championship. When you don’t win one, there is a part of you that feels some emptiness. That was certainly erased with the 2001 championship.”
In 2001-02, Wojciechowski was instrumental in leading the Blue Devils to a 31-4 record, their fourth consecutive ACC Tournament championship and fourth straight No. 1 finish in the final Associated Press poll. His primary pupil, Boozer, earned All-America honors and became Duke’s career field goal percentage leader. Forward Mike Dunleavy, who moved inside more during the 2001-02 season, also earned All-America honors.
The Blue Devils went 26-7 in 2002-03, won their league-record fifth consecutive ACC Tournament title and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight season. Wojciechowski’s instruction was again felt as senior Casey Sanders, junior Nick Horvath, and freshmen Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph all improved as the season progressed.
Duke earned its second trip to the Final Four during Wojciechowski’s coaching tenure in 2003-04. Another one of his post pupils, Williams, earned All-America recognition and was the leading vote-getter for the ACC All-Defensive team. The Blue Devils went 31-6 overall, won the regular season ACC title and played in their sixth consecutive ACC Tournament Championship Game before advancing to San Antonio and the Final Four.
In 2004-05, Williams was named the NABC’s National Defensive Player of the Year after registering 122 blocked shots and averaging 11.2 rebounds per contest. Duke posted a 27-6 ledger for the year and captured the ACC Tournament title with wins over Virginia, N.C. State and Georgia Tech on consecutive days.
For the 2005-06 season, Williams was again named the NABC’s National Defensive Player of the Year as well as a first team All-America. Wojciechowski also saw Williams set school records for career blocked shots and rebounds, while also becoming the first player in NCAA history to register over 1,750 points, 1,250 rebounds, 400 blocked shots and 150 steals in a career. Duke posted a 32-4 record, the program’s fourth 30-win season in Wojciechowski’s tenure, and captured the ACC regular season and tournament crowns.
“He was a point guard and fed the big men the ball a lot so he knows where the ball is supposed to be and where we are supposed to be posting up,” said Williams. “He has done a good job giving us a guard’s view of where we need to be posting our bodies in order to get the ball in good position. Also, his energy and passion for the game are unmatched.”
In the 2006-07 season, Wojciechowski directed a young group of inside players to a successful season. He helped develop one of Duke’s most versatile inside players ever as Josh McRoberts was one of only two players in the country to average over 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. McRoberts went on to earn second team All-ACC recognition.
“He’s like a fireball of energy,” said Sanders, who was named Duke’s Defensive MVP following his senior season. “It’s really hard to describe. He expects us to be alert and alive at all times, and he pumps it into everything we do.”
Wojciechowski coached freshman Kyle Singler to a terrific season in 2007-08 that culminated with him earning ACC Rookie of the Year and third team Freshman All-America honors. Singler was second on the team with 13.3 points per game while leading the squad in rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per game.
In 2008-09, Wojciechowski coached Singler to second team All-ACC honors as he became only the sixth sophomore in Duke history to reach 1,000 career points. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on his way to earning honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press. He had nine double-doubles and scored 20 or more points in 11 games.
Following his 1998 graduation, Wojciechowski spent time playing professional basketball in Poland before returning to Duke. He spent 1999 as an intern in the Duke Management Company and as a sideline analyst for the Duke Radio Network’s coverage of the Blue Devil basketball program.
Wojciechowski played a major role in the resurgence of Duke basketball over his last three years as a collegian. Following a difficult freshman campaign in which the Blue Devils went 13-18, Wojciechowski helped pace the program to a 74-26 mark over the next three seasons.
During his sophomore year, Wojciechowski appeared in all 31 games as the Blue Devils went 18-13 and earned a trip back to the NCAA Tournament. He started all 33 contests as the team’s point guard during the 1996-97 campaign as the squad collected a 24-9 record, won the ACC regular season title with a 12-4 record, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But it was the 1997-98 season that completed Duke’s journey back to the top of college basketball. Wojciechowski was a tri-captain for a squad that advanced to the NCAA South Regional title game, finished with a 32-4 overall mark, collected 15 regular season ACC victories, and completed the regular season holding the nation’s top ranking.
Along with being the top defensive player in the country his senior year, the two-time All-ACC choice also secured honorable mention All-America accolades from the AP.
Wojciechowski finished his career ranked in several of Duke’s season and career top 10 lists. He collected the second-highest single season steal total in 1997 with 82 and followed that by tying the 13th-best figure in 1998 with 74. Wojciechowski ranks eighth in career steals with 203 and eighth in career assists with 505.
Wojciechowski is one of four former Blue Devil captains, joining Chris Collins (associate head coach), Nate James (assistant coach) and Chris Carrawell (graduate assistant/head team manager), on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff.
The Severna Park, Md., native is 33, and is married to the former Lindsay Alder of Salt Lake City, Utah. The couple resides in Durham with their son, Jack.
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