Welcome Wojo

[MarsupialMadness]

Welcome Wojo.  We are very excited to have you for the next 5 years, until you leave for the Duke HC job! #SteppingStone

+1, I guess.

[MUWeb7]

If you want Duke fans as "crossovers" then you should turn in your credentials.

Just making it clear - I never said I wanted that....I merely stated something that is likely.

[vogue65]

Marquette made a right decision to give up football in 1960 and search for intellectual and moral excellence.   Rather than piss millions of $$$$ down the football rat-hole we have a very respectable university, a real campus, some first class facilities and a bright future.   We have had our fits-and-starts transitioning from a blue collar university to a prep-type institution and I for one miss some of our lost roots.   If more people would remember where they came from we would be better in many ways.  In WOJO I see an opportunity to pay respect to our Polish heritage and ratchet up our bonafides intellectually and morally.  We could have a much worse template than Duke University.  I for one am happy that Marquette is a University first and a basketball "power" second.   Our day in the sunshine will come again, maybe sooner than we think, and when that day comes we will be very proud.

[source?]

So, I'm assuming part of the contract was legally changing his last name to "Wojo," you know, so we can all pronounce it.

Welcome coach. Here's hoping for nothing but success.

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

Interesting article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-college-basketball-mens-tournament/news/20130321/duke-assistants/

Some choice tidbits:

• "Jeff Capel, the staff newbie at just two years, recalls hearing people criticize Collins and Wojciechowski because they haven't taken head coaching jobs. Collins turns 39 in April. Wojo is 36.  "Those guys have gotten knocked because they haven't left," Capel said. "I know when I was a head coach, I heard that. It's easy to say on the outside when you don't know. This is a great job. You don't leave this job just for any job."


• "So what makes working for Krzyzewski so appealing? Krzyzewski changed philosophies in the mid-1990s after his health issues, ending his days of micromanaging and giving his assistant autonomy. That ranges from recruiting to practice, as the Duke view is that they have three head coaches working under Krzyzewski. "They're involved at the very highest level of college basketball," Krzyzewski said. "They're not going to leave unless they can go and try and pursue that. They're not looking for a job. They're looking to maintain that. If Chris Collins is involved with Northwestern, then he's not going there unless he feels he can get it done."


• Not surprisingly, Collins declined comment about the Northwestern job. But he did speak expansively about the allure of staying at Duke. It's not a coincidence that Collins, Wojciechowski and Capel are all former Duke players. Coach K's three lead assistants have all been Duke graduates since 1998. "We're very involved in every aspect of the program," Collins said. "Whether it be game prep or running practice. We always have a free voice, within a practice, within a meeting, to say what we feel. Everyone has ownership in that regard."
  "[Coach K] gives you a lot of freedom," Capel added. "There are some head coaches that don't let the assistant coaches talk."

[WadeATKBurton]

We keep hiring UNPROVEN assistants proves that we ARE a stepping stone job.

[willie warrior]

I have to imagine he's been doing a lot of Coach K's legwork regarding reruiting over the last couple years. I think he has a pretty good feel for it.

Agreed he does the leg work, but K and the program are what attracts them to Duke--not Wojo. We will find out shortly.

[Benny B]

I like the hire, and the fact that we were able to attract the top assistant from one of the top programs in the country (not to mention one of the best head coaches in the country) is a much bigger deal than many are giving credit for.  Looking forward to seeing some great things.

[Texas Western]

Marquette made a right decision to give up football in 1960 and search for intellectual and moral excellence.   Rather than piss millions of $$$$ down the football rat-hole we have a very respectable university, a real campus, some first class facilities and a bright future.   We have had our fits-and-starts transitioning from a blue collar university to a prep-type institution and I for one miss some of our lost roots.   If more people would remember where they came from we would be better in many ways.  In WOJO I see an opportunity to pay respect to our Polish heritage and ratchet up our bonafides intellectually and morally.  We could have a much worse template than Duke University.  I for one am happy that Marquette is a University first and a basketball "power" second.   Our day in the sunshine will come again, maybe sooner than we think, and when that day comes we will be very proud.

I think giving up football was the biggest mistake the school ever made, the second biggest was giving up the med school. I am happy we are nationally recognized as a school upscale students want to go to and I never want to go back to our blue collar roots. I worked packing pallets  in a warehouse with lots of those old style alumni you fondly speak of. Basketball is what put us on the map and Basketball is what we will keep us on the map. Without it we are nothing more than a school in the upper peninsula of Michigan in many peoples minds.

I wish Wojo well but would have preferred that we hire a black coach from the inner city.

[Wade for President]

We keep hiring UNPROVEN assistants proves that we ARE a stepping stone job.

Define a "proven" assistant?  Gene Keady @ St. John's?  Bobby Lutz @ NC State coached against MU for many years representing Charlotte, is available.

Outside of being commited as an empowered coach at one of the most successful programs in the country for more than a decade, what do you define as a "proven" assistant?

[WellsstreetWanderer]

HOLD ON!  The guy came prepared and enthusiastic to the interview?  Who the hell here wouldn't want a candidate like that?
Sounds like the guy WANTS to be here.  I'll take that anytime over someone who has to have tons of bucks thrown at him. He appears to be the real deal as a player and an assistant. The guy knows how to go after quality people , both in character and ability, so I am enthused about the hire

[brandx]

We keep hiring UNPROVEN assistants proves that we ARE a stepping stone job.

Dumb statement. By definition ALL assistants are unproven.

[tower912]

I'd rather have the med school than football.   

[Benny B]

I'd rather have the med school than football.   

Agreed.  Especially since the medical field is going to be where it's at in 15-20 years, dealing with all of those football concussions and all.

[Anti-Dentite]

Wojciechowski has been on Duke's sideline for more than 15 years. He's had opportunities to become a head coach but has turned them down. One day, however, he won't.
"I have had chances (to leave), and I want to be a head coach," he said, "but I have to balance that. I have a special situation here. One, I was able to start coaching at a real young age (22). I started younger than most. I've had some amazing experiences at Duke. I think that'll prepare me when the time comes when I am a head coach.
"I love Duke," he continued. "I love working for Coach K. But I also want to have my own program. When the time's right, I'll know it. And it'll be right for me. It'll be right for my wife and my kids. And hopefully when that time comes, I'll be ready to build my own program that's similar to the one we have here in terms of having high-character kids – guys who, when they step between the lines, play as hard as they possibly can for each other.
"There's a few times I've been (close to leaving). I think that time is approaching."
--From a 12/5/13 interview on CBSsports site

[Wally Schroeder]

Welcome Coach Woj! Time to get work done.

[brandx]

Plus, he knows and has recruited Chicago.

[WarhawkWarrior]

Welcome Coach W!  You have 150% of my support.

[vogue65]

My definition of blue color roots is a worker mentality.  The opposite to me is an attitude of entitlement.  WOJO appears to me to understand what it means to have a work ethic.  For that reason, if for no other reason, I fully support the decision and welcome Mr. Wojciechowski and his family.  Let's not fall into the Coach W, Coach K mentality of not being able to pronounce a name.  Remember, we are Marquette for God's sake.   One of my takeaways from my education in Milwaukee was an ability to pronounce Polish names.  By the way, I'm a dual citizen of Ireland and America, therefore no ax to grind.   

[Muhoopsfan1]

Definitely an announcement of some sort at the Al shortly.  Or else Wojo is coming.  Basically got asked to leave in a very frantic manner because some unplanned event was about to happen.

[Eldon]

Dumb statement. By definition ALL assistants are unproven.

He could have been using the adjective non-restrictively.

"The beautiful parks of Wisconsin"

Am I restricting the class of parks to be only the beautiful ones? Or am I simply injecting my opinion that "all Wisconsin parks are beautiful"

I hate to sound pedantic, but I hate it more when others actually are.

[swimmer]

Welcome aboard, Coach W!  I for one am glad to finally have a coach with playing experience.  It should lend some credibility to the X's and O's, and player relationships.

IMO, Crean and Buzz both became overzealous in their statistical evaluation of the game to the point of detriment.  I believe a lot of that came from never playing the game themselves.  They took indicators of success (deflections, paint touches, etc.) and tried to make them into effectors of success, when in reality there are deeper fundamentals of the game behind those stats that I'm not sure they really appreciated as non-players.  Obviously, both coaches had lots of success, but the act wore thin as that success gave them confidence to take their philosophies to greater and greater extremes.  Hopefully we are done with that for a while!