College of Charleston Hoops

Welcome New CofC Head Coach Doug Wojcik

cofcsportscom — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:37:25 +0000

Doug Wojcik (pronounced WO-jick) was introduced as the 22nd all-time head men’s basketball coach at the College of Charleston on April 4, 2012.

Wojcik, 47, joins a list of former coaching greats at The College including CofC Athletics Hall of Famers in Alfred von Kolnitz (1924-26), Ernest Wehman (two tenures from 1933-42, 1957-58), Willard Silcox, Sr. (three tenures from 1943-44, 1948-53, 1955-56), Fred Daniels (1968-70), Alan LeForce (1970-79), the program’s all-time winningest coach John Kresse (1979-2002) and Bobby Cremins (2006-12).

He previously spent the last seven seasons at the University of Tulsa where he became the all-time winningest head coach in program history with 140 career wins, surpassing legendary coaches Clarence Iba (137) and Nolan Richardson (119). He held a career winning percentage of 60 percent and an average of 20 wins per season with the Golden Hurricane.

Tulsa was a breeding ground for successful head coaches who eventually led their future programs to a national championship title in Richardson (Arkansas in 1994), Tubby Smith (Kentucky in 1998) and Bill Self (Kansas in 2008) as well as notable assistant coaches in Tom Izzo (Michigan State in 2000), Kevin O’Neill, Mike Anderson, Billy Gillispie and Flip Saunders.

In seven years with the Golden Hurricane, Wojcik took a nine-win squad before his arrival and posted four consecutive 20-win seasons including back-to-back 25+ win campaigns, advanced to the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament in 2008 and 2009, won the inaugural College Basketball Invitational title in 2008 in his third season and appeared in the NIT twice in 2009 and 2010.

All of this success came as the program transitioned from its days in the Western Athletic Conference to the more competitive Conference USA. One of the team’s biggest highlights of the 2010-11 season was defeating Memphis on its home court to break a 12-game losing streak to the Tigers in the all-time series and capture its first road win since 1971. The Golden Hurricane were the only C-USA squad to beat Memphis at home (one of their four league home losses since 2004-05) and one of only two schools that season to do so next to Georgetown.

During his tenure, Tulsa was one of C-USA’s top defensive teams and ranked among the top defenses in the country. Wojcik developed two future NBA players in Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan as well as Conference USA leading scorer Justin Hurtt. He also recruited and developed three of the top nine all-time leading scorers in Tulsa history in Uzoh (No. 3), Hurtt (No. 7), and Jerome Jordan (No. 9).

In addition to his team’s success on the court, all 17 of Wojcik’s senior student-athletes earned their degrees at Tulsa, accomplishing a seven-year graduation rate of 100 percent.

Wojcik spent 15 years as an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy along with stops at Notre Dame, North Carolina and Michigan State. He spent two seasons with Michigan State under Izzo before his appointment at Tulsa. Wojcik was instrumental in their run to the 2005 NCAA Final Four, defeating Old Dominion, Vermont, Duke and Kentucky before losing to eventual national champion North Carolina in the semifinals. MSU finished the season with a 26-7 record and a 13-3 Big Ten Conference mark.

He was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2004-05 season, joining an impressive list of recent associate head coaches at Michigan State, including current collegiate head coaches Tom Crean (Indiana) and Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech). In the spring of 2003, Wojcik served as a floor coach under Izzo for the USA Basketball Under-20 tryout period.

Before his stint at Michigan State, Wojcik spent three years as an assistant coach at North Carolina from 2000-03. In his first season, North Carolina earned a No. 1 national ranking late in the regular season, posted a 26-7 overall mark, a 13-3 league record and won a share of the ACC regular-season championship title.

Wojcik’s recruiting expertise and ability was clearly evident while at UNC. He helped bring in recruiting classes ranked second in the nation in both 2001 and 2002. These classes included one McDonald’s All-American in 2001 (Jawad Williams) and three in 2002 (Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants and Sean May). Wojcik also served as head coach of the junior varsity program at North Carolina for three years.

While in Chapel Hill, Wojcik was named a “Head Coach in the Waiting” by Athlon Sports in 2001 and by ESPN’s Jay Bilas in 2003. He was also named as an “Assistant Coach on the Rise” by ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.

Prior to North Carolina, Wojcik spent one season on the coaching staff at Notre Dame, helping the Fighting Irish post a 22-15 record and earn a berth in the 2000 NIT championship game. In his one season at Notre Dame, he recruited one McDonald’s All-American (Chris Thomas) and coached Tulsa native Ryan Humphrey, who went on to the NBA.

Wojcik began his coaching career in 1990-91 as an assistant coach at Navy, where he coached his alma mater for nine seasons. Wojcik was still on active duty during the first two seasons, then became a full-time assistant coach under new head coach Don DeVoe in 1992.

During his collegiate playing career from 1983-86, Wojcik led the Midshipmen to the NCAA Tournament three-straight seasons including a 1986 East Regional Final appearance. He started every game at point guard for three seasons, helping Navy post a 26-6 record as a sophomore, followed by marks of 30-5 and 26-6 in his final two seasons. Overall, Navy was 82-17 in his three years as a starter.

In 1986, teammate David Robinson turned over his Colonial Athletic Association MVP Award to Wojcik, citing his unselfish play and leadership abilities. During his career, Wojcik established school records for most assists in a single game (14), season (251) and career (714).

Overall, Wojcik was a part, either as a player or coach, in every conference title won by Navy and six of the school’s 11 NCAA Tournament bids.

A 1987 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physical science, Wojcik was commissioned as a Naval officer and attended Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, R.I. He was assigned to the USS W.S. Sims out of Mayport, Fla., where he served as First Lieutenant and Engineering Officer for two years prior to beginning his coaching career.

Originally from Wheeling, W. Va., Wojcik and his wife, Lael, a 1990 Navy graduate and former basketball and track standout, are the proud parents of two sons, Paxson (11) and Denham (9).

The Citadel Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:15:57 +0000

Despite seven lead changes and five ties in a heated-rivalry rematch, College of Charleston was able to hold on to a 55-47 victory over crosstown rival The Citadel in both team’s final regular-season finale held on Feb. 25 at McAlister Field House. The Cougars and Bulldogs rebounded from a low-scoring first half in which CofC struggled offensively and The Citadel started off on a 10-5 run. Freshman Anthony Stitt came off the bench and provided an offensive spark and ended the drought with a layup and two made free throws to give CofC its first lead, 11-10, at the 11:34 minute mark. Stitt and senior Antwaine Wiggins each led the Cougars with a team-high 12 points in the contest.

CofC turned up its defensive pressure in the second half, forcing the Bulldogs into eight turnovers in which the Cougars converted into 12 key points. A steal by junior point guard Andrew Lawrence led to a Wiggins’ dish to sophomore Trent Wiedeman for the alley-oop dunk which shifted the momentum the Cougars’ way, 34-28, with 12:27 on the clock. CofC built its lead into double figures as Stitt was sent to the charity stripe and made both free throws, 45-35, with 3:47 left in regulation and never looked back.

Current Los Angeles Lakers guard and CofC all-time leading scorer Andrew Goudelock made an appearance at the game in support of his former teammates during time-off from his NBA schedule over All-Star Weekend. He was greeted by many well wishers and Cougar fans welcoming him back to the Lowcountry. He also joined Voice of the Cougars Jeff McCarragher and color analyst Everett German on the Cougar Sports Radio Network. Great to see you back Drew!

Video Music: Touch The Sky by Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco

Kent State Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:33:35 +0000

Sophomore Nori Johnson scored a career-high 27 points including 16 in the first half of play as College of Charleston handed Kent State only its second home loss of the season, 80-73, in an ESPN Sears BracketBusters matchup held on Feb. 18 before a crowd of 3,682 at the M.A.C. Center.

The Cougars held off a late rally by the Golden Flashes, who went cold from behind the three-point line for the majority of the ballgame (0-of-18) and then 6-of-11 as part of an 18-1 run which cut CofC’s lead down to 68-66 with 3:53 remaining in regulation. Senior Antwaine Wiggins scored seven crucial points in the last two minutes, including a 5-for-6 performance from the charity stripe, to seal the victory and snap the Golden Flashes’ seven-game win streak.

Video Music: Tonight Is The Night by Outasight

Samford Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:46:49 +0000

Senior Antwaine Wiggins knocked down a career-high 25 points to lead College of Charleston to a 68-52 road victory at Samford on Jan. 30 at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala. It marked the Cougars’ first win in five games as they remained an undefeated 12-0 in the all-time series with the Bulldogs. Junior Matt Sundberg scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point land.

With the win, CofC Interim Head Coach Mark Byington claimed his first career coaching victory since taking over the reins of the program after CofC Head Coach Bobby Cremins took a medical leave of absence on Jan. 27. He is now 1-1 as the program’s acting head coach and is undoubtedly one of the top young coaching minds in the country.

The Cougars were fortunate to fly a charter plane to Alabama with the support of the Cougar Club and its members who traveled with the team on the trip. We had a lot of Maroon and White in the stands tonight including the Wiedeman’s, the Benton’s and Coach Byington’s wife, Christy. We thank all of our fans for continuing to support us and Congratulations to Twaine and Coach B!

Video Music: The Champ by Nelly

Coastal Carolina Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:58:50 +0000

Redshirt junior Matt Sundberg scored 15 of his career-high tying 17 points, including a half-court buzzer beater before the half, to lead College of Charleston to a 77-70 road win at Coastal Carolina on Dec. 22 at Kimbel Arena. Sundberg was one of three players to score in double figures for the Cougars. Junior Andrew Lawrence kept CofC ahead in the second half as Coastal Carolina cut into a 17-point lead by the Cougars at the 14:37 minute mark. He knocked down 11 of his game-high 18 points including two key three-pointers in the half to keep the Chanticleers at bay.

The Cougars’ zone defense held Coastal Carolina, the nation’s third-best field-goal shooting team (51.8), to just 46.2 percent from the floor. Former Georgia Tech and NBA star Travis Best spoke to the team in the locker room after the game. He played for Coach Cremins and was drafted in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Former CofC standout Tony White, Jr., who is currently playing for the ABA’s South Carolina Warriors, also paid a visit with the Cougars the night before during the team’s dinner at the hotel.

Video Music: My Life Be Like by Grits

Louisville Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:41:20 +0000

The College of Charleston had No. 4 Louisville on the ropes for much of the game and just missed a chance to be the second Southern Conference team to knock off a Top 25 opponent in as many days, falling 69-62 on Dec. 20 at the KFC Yum! Center. CofC led 59-58 with 4:03 to play but Louisville scored the next eight points after wearing down the Cougars with a full-court assault on defense. Senior forward Antwaine Wiggins had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars which tied a season-high with 12 three-pointers.

“It was a heck of a ballgame. Their pressure finally caught up to us down the stretch,” CofC Head Coach Bobby Cremins said. “Their pressure is relentless.” Louisvillle Head Coach Rick Pitino knew his team was in a battle to remain undefeated. “We knew this was going to be a war,” Pitino said. “We knew it’d be a great team. For about 32, 33 minutes, they were the better basketball team.”

Video Music: Beautiful Day by U2

Tennessee Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:29:37 +0000

For the second-straight season, the College of Charleston men’s basketball team knocked off SEC foe Tennessee, 71-65, while entertaining yet another sell-out crowd of 5,137 fans on Dec. 14 at TD Arena. The Cougars extended their home-court win streak to 14 consecutive games and have now won their last five straight, while the Volunteers lost their fourth in a row. It marks the second-best start in the first nine games of a season in the Bobby Cremins Era next to the team’s 2008-09 campaign. Senior Antwaine Wiggins provided the offensive spark as he tied his career high with a game-high 24 points, including 15 in the second half, and shot an impressive 10-of-12 from the field. He also pulled down eight rebounds and made three assists.

Video Music: My Time by Fabolous & Jeremih

Chattanooga Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:10:20 +0000

Junior Andrew Lawrence, who currently ranks No. 18 nationally in assist-t0-turnover ratio (3.23), netted a career-high 25 points to lead the College of Charleston men’s basketball team to an 87-85 double-overtime thriller over preseason North Division favorite Chattanooga in Southern Conference action on Dec. 3 at TD Arena. Lawrence scored five points in the final 10 seconds of regulation including a coast-to-coast layup at the buzzer to send the game to the first overtime period. He also added five assists and four steals, while hitting a team-best five three-pointers from downtown.

It was the second-straight year in which the annual once-a-year meeting between the Cougars (7-1, 2-0) and Mocs (2-6, 0-2) was decided by three points or less. CofC avenged a close 91-88 road loss at UTC on Jan. 17, 2011. CofC remains undefeated at home this season, while the win marked the first double-overtime contest for the program since 2008. The Cougars are off to a perfect 2-0 start to SoCon play for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Bobby Cremins.

It was also only the third all-time overtime game for CofC in its three-year-old home venue next to an 82-80 OT win over South Carolina in 2008 and a 100-87 OT upset of No. 9-ranked North Carolina in 2010. The Cougars will have a bye week to focus on final exams on campus before hosting 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Tennessee in a much-anticipated rematch on Dec. 14 on ESPN2.

Video Music: More (RedOne Remix) by Usher

The Citadel Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:19:55 +0000

The College of Charleston men’s basketball team opened up Southern Conference play with a convincing 83-64 rout of The Citadel on Dec. 1 before its 16th all-time sell-out crowd of 5,101 at TD Arena. The Cougars have now won the last three-straight meetings between the two crosstown rivals.

Sophomore big man Trent Wiedeman registered a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulldogs to mark his sixth career double-double. CofC also made a season-low 10 turnovers in the ballgame, while The Citadel committed an opponent season-high 21 miscues on the court. It was a historic night for CofC Athletics as the Charleston Sports Network officially debuted on the air with Voice of the Cougars Jeff McCarragher handling play-by-play duties and veteran broadcaster Nate Ross and legendary CofC head coach John Kresse providing color commentary on MyTV Charleston and ESPN3.

Video Music: How Far We’ve Come by Matchbox Twenty

UNC Asheville and UMass Video Recap

cofcsportscom — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:31:34 +0000

After three-straight days of basketball, the Cougars closed out tournament play at the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis with a 2-1 record with victories over 2011 NCAA Tournament participant UNC Asheville (68-66) on Nov. 25 and UMass (85-61) on Nov. 26. They rebounded well from a tough opening-round loss to UCF, but were able to still give thanks and remain in the holiday spirit hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner with fans, boosters, family and friends after the game.

One thing great about extensive road trips, especially with a young, new team, is the bonding experience a six-day schedule can help your team build on its chemistry and camaraderie. Coach Cremins and his coaching staff recruit only the best kids first and players second. You’ll never see one without a smile on their face or enjoying the lighter things in life. It is a very tight-knit family and we thank our Cougar Club supporters and fans who joined us and made the trip possible.

Congratulations to freshman back-up point guard Anthony Stitt for knocking down a career-high 23 points against the UMass. Our freshmen are really making a huge impact early. Southern Conference play is ahead and CofC is off to a 5-1 start. We hope you will join us to pack the house at TD Arena against The Citadel on Dec. 1 and Chattanooga on Dec. 3. Until then, Go Cougars!!

Video Music: Best Years of Our Lives by Baha Men