C0LLEGE OF CHARLESTON BASKETBALL
August 14, 2012 — Passion, character and toughness, those are the three principles that Coach Doug Wojick aims to instill in his players. “It takes a lot of passion. It is hard to do what these students athletes do. You have to have passion. While a lot of my players want to be NBA players, there is nothing wrong with simply being a college basketball player,” said Wojick. “Mentally and physically you have to be tough. You have to be able to balance being an athlete and a student.”
Of all three principles, Wojick values character the most. “It is difficult to recruit an athlete with leadership and character, and it is not an exact science,” said Wojick. “I am a CEO of a small corporation, but my employees are 18-20 years old. I sleep with my cell phone by my bed.” He said that his players will go to class, graduate and above all, they will have character.
Wojick was joined at the meeting by his wife of 14 years, Lael. They have two sons, Paxson (11) and Denham (9). Wojick said that he and his family feel very comfortable in Charleston and have acclimated well. His sponsor family from his days at the Naval Academy lives in Mount Pleasant, and Coach Chuck Driesell of the The Citadel is one of his best friends. Wojick told the group that no one asks if you like it here in Charleston, as they have done in other places where he has lived. Instead people say, “Welcome to Charleston. We do not care if you like it here.” Wojick loves Charleston because the history and diversity allow him to recruit players from all over the country.
Wojick discussed his vision for the Cougars this season and reported that he took the team to Toronto on a foreign exhibition tour last weekend, which the NCAA allows basketball teams to do every four years. He wants his team to play team basketball. “Offensively, I would like for us to play very fast, and I am going to demand rebounds. I want a penetrating defense and I want us at the free throw line,” he said. As of now, he is eight to nine players deep, but hopes to be ten deep. One of the biggest challenges he is facing as a Division I college basketball coach is keeping players on the team. There are 400 players in Division I basketball and 345 Division I teams. “If players are not getting what they want, they transfer,” said Wojick.“I am going to hold my players to their goals,” he said. “If they want to go pro, they will have to play like pros. I want us to get a large bid to the NCAA Tournament this year.” Out of the 345 Division I teams, only 64 make it to the tournament. With Wojick at the helm, the odds for the College of Charleston Cougars are good.
Reported by Abby Saunders, Keyway Committee