Quotes from Doug Wojcik Press Conference
3/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2005
Judy MacLeod, Athletics Director
Opening Statement
"I appreciate everyone coming out today. It's an exciting day for our program. I especially appreciate the media, I know it's a busy time of year and we hope that shortly, this time of year we will be extremely busy for us as well. I do want to thank some people today, first and foremost, I want to thank our team. It is spring break so our student-athletes are not in town, but a great group of young men that really persevered and stuck together. I think we owe them a lot. A lot of times we lose focus, but its all about them and they have been great through this process.
I'd also like to thank our staff, Coach Williamson and his staff, did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances, and we are very proud of them and grateful for what they have done for this university. I'd also like to thank Fulton Collins, our chairman of the board, who never tires in his energy and devotion to TU and trying to make this a better place and I appreciate all the time you put into the process. Without anything further, I'd like to turn it over to our president, Dr. Steadman Upham, for the announcement."
Dr. Steadman Upham, President of the University of Tulsa
Announcement"Thank you very much Judy. It's a pleasure to stand in front of you today, the end of a long process. I know all of you have followed the process through the media. You know it has been a comprehensive national search. I want to compliment Judy MacLeod for the incredible work she did on this search, talking to hundreds and hundreds of people about the right fit for this job.
In the process she consulted some of the very best basketball minds in the country and as a result we were blessed with an incredibly accomplished group of candidates. That made our job incredibly difficult. I would like to thank the candidates that participated in this process. All of them are outstanding young men and have great futures ahead of them. I too want to echo my thanks for interim head coach Alvin "Pooh" Williamson, who stepped in to a difficult situation and did a wonderful job through the season with our young men, young student-athletes.
Contrary to reports in the media, this job has been offered to one and only one person. Doug Wojcik will become the 28th head basketball coach at The University of Tulsa.
Doug is a very impressive individual, beginning with his career at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated as a commissioned officer. He served his country well then entered the coaching ranks. He has 15 years of coaching experience at the Division I level at some of the best basketball programs in the United States. I think all of us were impressed by Doug's leadership skills and his organizational abilities. Doug has been an overachiever at every stage of his life and we fully expect him to be an overachiever here, leading the TU basketball program to new prominence. More importantly, Doug is a person of very high integrity and a person we feel confident will fulfill his mission as a coach and a teacher with our student-athletes. It is my pleasure to introduce the 28th Head Basketball Coach at The University of Tulsa, Doug Wojcik."
Doug Wojcik, 28th head basketball coach, The University of Tulsa
Opening Statement
"It's a pleasure to be here as the new head coach at The University of Tulsa. I want to first thank Dr. Upham and Judy MacLeod. They were wonderful in the process. It was a great process for me and my wife, and my family. It was a pleasure to meet Fulton (Collins, Chairman of the Board of Trustees) when they visited me up at Michigan State and again yesterday to visit with them in the afternoon. The University of Tulsa is a great school. I've been looking for a long time for a great fit for me and my family. A program that has tradition, both academically and basketball-wise, and here at the University of Tulsa there is great basketball tradition and there is the combination of the great academics. It's a small environment, it's a private school. We believe in great education, I believe in the basketball program from the days of Clarence Iba to Nolan Richardson to Tubby Smith to Bill Self. It's a program I feel I can grow as a coach, be successful as the coach, and be a great husband, and lead a community and be appreciated. That is why we are so excited to be here.
I have waited a long time. When you graduate from the United States Naval Academy you are commissioned an officer. Right away you are sent to a ship or you are flying planes and you are in a leadership position. I had to ask myself then what did I want to do. Right now if I had stayed in the Navy, I would be, probably, a commanding officer of a ship. What I decided I wanted to do was to be a commanding officer of a basketball program, a Division I basketball program. I had great guidance as a kid. My high school coach was Skip Prosser of Wake Forest. I had great coaching in college so I had a nice experience with it. I made that decision back in 1990, that I decided to leave the Navy and I wanted to go into coaching. I was fortunate to have a great playing career, I played along side David Robinson. I was fortunate there and had a great run in three NCAA tournaments. The fact that I could be an influence and be a positive role model and leader for kids is more important to me then actually staying in the Navy and making it a career. That is what I decided. I spent some time at my alma mater, we had a lot of success, its not the easiest place in the world to recruit when you have to recruit a young man and ask him to serve five years to his country, especially if he is a good player. We had success doing that. That was an exciting time. I think that those skills that I had there, to go into different homes, around the country, will help me in recruiting to Tulsa.
I had the great opportunity to go to coach at the Notre Dame for a year. Notre Dame was a place that I grew up admiring, had attended camps at Notre Dame, so it was a great fit for me. Navy and Notre Dame have always had a great relationship so that was a wonderful opportunity. Then I had the opportunity to go to the University of North Carolina. Now, the last two years, especially this last year, I've been the associate head coach at Michigan State with Tom Izzo.
Tom Izzo has been just an unbelievable role model for me. He's a National Championship coach. I have two mentors. Tom Izzo and Skip Prosser. One is like a dad and the other is a big brother.
This is a great day for me. I want to represent you very, very well. I'll work my tail off, my staff will work their tail off, and I promise you that we will continue to have Tulsa basketball at the top, and winning conference championships.
I must add that Pooh Williamson is an acquaintance through a friend of mine, and he is a great guy. He did a heck of a job in a tough situation. I often asked myself, through this process, what would I have done, had I been him. I think sometimes when you are the top assistant somewhere you have to ask yourself those questions. Through it all, they played tough in every game. I followed the scores, they'd either be in overtime or it'd be a two-point game, or they'd be leading. Those are not easy circumstances to take over a program. I want to thank him and the current assistants for doing a great job. A job opens and its everyone's opportunity, and this is my opportunity, and I'm looking forward to it. I think it's a great situation and I'm just looking forward to making you proud, as Tulsa fans."
Questions and Answers
Q: Are you going to start out right away or are you going back to Michigan State?
A: We are kind of unique at Michigan State, we are having our banquet tonight. They have their banquet right after the Big 10 tournament, prior to the NCAA tournament, and so we are heading back and I am going to continue my job for Tom Izzo. One of the things that Judy and Dr. Upham were very good about is that I honor my commitment to Coach Izzo. He's one of the best in the country and I want to see that through.
Q: What attracted you to the job?
A: I was immediately attracted to it. I had been to Tulsa few times recruiting, had seen Tulsa. You knew the traditions. I did have some other opportunities in the past, and I just didn't feel like those were the ones that I really wanted and this one was. I didn't know that I could get the job, you never know. Again, I think it's an excellent opportunity. A job opens, its sad for the person leaving, but it's an opportunity for the person that may get the job. I threw my name in the hat, I felt like my credentials were up to par, and one thing led to the next and fortunately I'm here this afternoon.
Q: TU basketball has been at its lowest point in the last 25 years, how quickly will you be able to turn it around?
A: I think this, what I was saying about watching scores, and what Pooh did from December on, every game was pretty much a close game. We are fairly young in the backcourt. There is a little concern in the post position, and where those kids are and really try and get some younger post players. Guards win games. Even though you could argue that Navy wouldn't have won as many games without David Robinson. I can tell you that they were trying to press us then too. Guards win games and we are very youthful in the backcourt. I feel very good about where they are, the competitiveness, the athleticism, and the quickness. If you are that tight, and under the circumstances that Pooh had to deal with, there is no reason we cannot be successful right away.
Q: How did you handle the Matt Doherty rumors and how did you handle the process over the weekend?
A: Well, first of all, I think I went to a pretty good school but they never taught a class about how these processes go, to be honest with you. It's been a whirlwind. I was sitting there on the bench Friday night and I'm thinking, we're missing free throws, I'm blowing my chance at Tulsa right here. I said something to Judy, and she said something like, you didn't shoot the free throws. So, that's good. I didn't know anything until Saturday afternoon. We were on the bus on the way from Chicago to East Lansing, kind of a down bus ride home, quiet honestly the snow was falling, and Judy called, said they'd like for me to come down on Sunday. It was a little bit of a whirlwind, but we came down yesterday morning and came back in the afternoon and I realized I had the job last night.
Q: Are you going to juggle both jobs for the time being?
A: I will, I'll have to to some degree. The fortunate thing is, I'm not like Charlie Weis (new head football coach at Notre Dame) and have two or three months left in the football season. I do need to assemble a staff. I did talk to the incoming recruits and their families last night. I need to certainly tie some of those things up, and do both at once. We have so much staff support at Michigan State, as you can imagine, that I think things are in good hands there, and I'll be able to do both.
Q: What is your timetable in hiring your coaching staff?
A: My guess, I'd like to have things wrapped up in the next seven to 10 days. That is a little bit dependent on what we do Friday and Sunday in the NCAA tournament, hopefully we play Sunday. They are dependent on each other right now, but I do plan on juggling both.
Q: Has Pooh been offered a position on your staff?
A: I have not talked to Pooh. I think that, it's his alma mater, and I'm very sensitive to that. I have an alma mater, and you want to do the right thing for him. We didn't speak last night. Again, one of my best friends is one of his best friends, we know each other, I know Kwanza, and I'll try and do the right thing. As long as he feels good about things, I'd like to set down and talk to him, but if he doesn't, I understand that. There has to be, again, if the Naval Academy had not offered me the job, if it were open, I'd be a little upset about that. Having been a point guard and having had success, and Pooh was a point guard and led the team and all that. I'm very, very sensitive to that, and I just think that that is why I say, 7 to 10 days. Time solves things and over time things will work itself out.
Q: How long do you think you'll stay at TU?
A: My wife said it best last night, this is our fourth move in six years and I promise you this, getting the right opportunity is the most important thing to me professionally, but my family, by far, is more important than me, than anything. The balance between the two is critical. I feel like we do have balance, and that moving around, does not create balance. So, we have work to do, and we want to be successful. Bigger is not always better, I've been there, done that. You want to have a chance to win, you want to represent a good school, you want to be around good people, and in my 24 hours down here, it's been unbelievable how nice people have been, how cooperating, and I just want to say thanks to everyone because we are looking forward to joining the community.
Q: How will you be able to take all of your experiences at different types of universities and implement that here at TU?
A: As I told Dr. Upham and Judy in the interview process, I hope to get hired in terms of the resources and recruiting based on what I did at the Naval Academy. The Naval Academy is far more difficult to recruit to them The University of Tulsa. Now, do you have the resources and facilities of a Michigan State, no you don't, Coach Izzo won a National Championship and just built a new building and office complex. I know that, I understand that. I would relate it more to going back to my past and spending nine years at the Naval Academy, and having to recruit hundreds of kids just to get a few kids, to go into hundreds of homes for them to understand and to educate them about what the Naval Academy and the experience is. So, to me, with all those coaches I mentioned and all the great players, Shea Seals, Paul Pressey, Michael Ruffin, Jason Parker, all of them, I think I have an easy sell here. So, its not about the size of your office, it's not about all of the material things, its really about the community and in 24 hours, I feel a sense of community here at Tulsa.
Q: Five years ago Tulsa was the top mid-major, now Gonzaga is, can Tulsa get back to that level?
A: I believe it can. Mark Few is a good friend of mine. I talked to Mark the other day and he talked about bringing his team down here for the bracket buster. I just said hey, I got a feel, just like I have here in Spokane. Its kind of ironic, I guess there was in a poll in Sports Illustrated or somewhere about the best mid-major runs in history. The top-three mid-major runs were Gonzaga, Tulsa, and Navy. Now, I argue that we had the best run at Navy because we had to beat Syracuse at Syracuse. I just sort of looked at the Tulsa job, and crossed my fingers and said hopefully I'm the guy they are looking for. You never know, in these searches, where you stand, you never really know if you are the person they are looking for. There are a lot of different factors that go into it. I'm just appreciative that Dr. Upham and Judy believed in my background, my integrity, my character and my family, to know that I'm the person to lead Tulsa, and to lead Tulsa for some time. I know there is some concern there, and I understand that, but I want to reiterate, bigger is not always better.
Q: What are the changes in recruiting since you played?
A: It has changed in 19 years. I like to describe our run to the Elite Eight as a player as a journey. I really honestly believe that that is the most innocent in sports because none of us were highly recruited kids. David Robinson was a 6'8, 180 lbs. freshman, no one knew that we would end up doing what we did. The innocence isn't quite there anymore. The AAU sort of changed that a little bit. The kids get to travel all around the country, they know all the other players. The whole NBA thing, the kids leaving school early, at our level, at Michigan State and North Carolina, that is a little bit of an issue. What their expectations are. That has sort of changed everything and I am aware of that. I just want to recruit great players that want to be good. I think that it is important that they love playing basketball and if they are competitive, then we will be successful. If you recruit someone who doesn't love playing the game, and that is a hard thing to evaluate, because everyone is going to say that they love to play, but if you can evaluate that, and you get kids who are competitive and want to compete on a daily basis then you are going to be successful.
Q: Am you going to look for someone from the region when you hire an assistant coach?
A: I'm going to look for someone who has recruited the region. I have recruited Texas because Texas is a very fertile recruiting ground. I have recruited Oklahoma a little bit, I've been here a couple of times when I was at Navy and we recruited Jason Parker a little bit to Notre Dame and Ryan Humphries transferred to Notre Dame. But definitely someone who has some experience in the area and definitely in Texas.
Q: Do you feel pressure coming into Tulsa with its tradition?
A: Not really. I think that that is everywhere. I think that you have to produce. Any job that you go to, any job that is a good job, and this is a good job. Is it daunting? Not really. I have a job to do, I have to build relationships with the current kids and the incoming freshman. If we do that, I have confidence in myself and my staff, when I put the full staff together, that we'll do the right things, we'll have the proper support here at Tulsa. I can tell you that right now, I know I have the proper support here. No, it's not a task that is overwhelming.
Q: Do you think that Tulsa is a better job with Tulsa joining Conference USA?
A: It's a very good league that has done well over its 10-year existence. I still think that Tulsa is Tulsa and Tulsa can stand on its own whether it is in Conference USA or the Western Athletic Conference. That is how much I think people respect The University of Tulsa.
Q: Rebounding has been an issue for Tulsa over the last couple of years, you are coming from one of the best rebounding school's in the country, what will you be using some of those rebounding drills here at TU?
A: We have a lot of rebounding drills, in fact, I just met the football coach, Steve Kragthorpe, so we are going to borrow some of his pads and bring them over for the rebounding drills. I'm not worried about the rebounding, we'll chase the ball.
Q: How would you categorize your style of play?
A: I'll play fast. It's funny, because the national media they don't realize that we play fast at Michigan State. They want to talk about the rebounding, they want to talk about the man defense, but we want to push the ball and I think that is what our strength is here, with the current team. Is push it with responsibility, understand time and possession, understand what is a good shot and what is not a good shot, but I definitely want to play fast and I think kids want to play fast. Its funny, they tell you that they want to play fast and it's amazing how little they run. We'll be running a little bit, but we'll hold them accountable that way.
Q: Are you going to use both available scholarships?
A: There are two scholarships, I would like to use one for sure. I feel like there is a need in the post, and we have to go get a post player. There is a chance that I would use two but I'm not going to just use two just to use two, to tell everyone that I got two great players and that one can play and one can't. Scholarships are precious and you have to be fair to the coaching staff and you also have to be fair to the kid, and not put a kid in the position where he cannot produce, maybe to the expectation level that is out there for him. If he can play, we'll look at it. If he has good character, and plays hard, and loves to play the game, we'll use him. I have my feelers out and we'll see what happens.
