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Un-Connon Opinions: Best bet for men’s basketball coach might be overlooked amid lackluster prospects

UCLA men’s basketball is in the midst of another coaching search, with popular candidates being Virginia’s Tony Bennett and Nevada’s Eric Musselman – but Marquette coach Steve “Wojo” Wojciechowski should be the Bruins’ top choice. (Daily Bruin file photo)

By Sam Connon

Jan. 25, 2019 1:35 a.m.

There have been a lot of names thrown out there for the UCLA men’s basketball head coaching job.

The thing is, I’m just not impressed.

John Beilein and Tony Bennett aren’t going anywhere. Michigan and Virginia are top-five teams with big money behind them, so UCLA can’t offer those two anything they don’t already have.

Billy Donovan probably won’t leave the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s under contract for two more seasons at a hefty salary and he gets to coach Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

Everyone else just seems bland to me. Earl Watson, Eric Musselman, Chris Beard, Fred Hoiberg and Jamie Dixon are all fine candidates, but that’s all I see them as – fine.

[Related: Fresh Off the Grill: Insights into UCLA Athletics’ search for Alford’s successor]

So I have a true dark horse to propose, a name I haven’t seen connected to UCLA anywhere else on the internet. Disclaimer: This one’s going to be pretty hard to spell.

Steve Wojciechowski.

“Wojo” is currently the head coach for No. 12 Marquette. He is a 42-year-old disciple of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, and I want him to be the next coach for UCLA men’s basketball.

For starters, Wojciechowski coached under the legendary “Coach K” for 15 years as an assistant specializing in frontcourt players.

Where is UCLA loaded for the next few years? Down low.

Between redshirt freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, freshmen Moses Brown and Shareef O’Neal and redshirt junior Alex Olesinski, the Bruins will have superstar talent and depth on the blocks for years to come. And that list doesn’t even include five-star power forward Jaden McDaniels, the No. 5 recruit in the nation who has UCLA listed in his top five.

Wojciechowski also played for Krzyzewski at Duke from 1994 to 1998 as a point guard, ending his career inside the school’s top-ten lists in both career steals and assists. In 1998, he took home the National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year award.

After going undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, the former McDonald’s All-American went overseas to Europe – commonly regarded as a hotspot of basketball fundamentals – to play in the Polish Basketball League.

Even before looking at his track record at Marquette, it’s clear to see that Wojciechowski has the pedigree to work with UCLA’s guards and forwards that no one else does. He’s coached with the best, played with the best and can relate to the blue-chip recruits he pursues on a personal level.

It also doesn’t hurt that he has a great defensive IQ, since Steve Alford’s Bruins were never really praised for their shut-down defense.

If Wojciechowski got his hands on this UCLA team – which is highly regarded as talented but inconsistent, reckless and raw – just imagine what he could do with it.

Take a look at what he’s doing with Marquette right now.

In his fifth year with the Golden Eagles, Wojciechowski has cemented his team as a favorite to win the Big East. His first two seasons at Marquette were rocky, but since then, he has taken them to the NCAA tournament and the NIT quarterfinals. And now he’s well on his way to the Sweet 16.

To UCLA fans, I’m sure that sounds disappointing, but he turned a mid-major that was suffering from a rocky end to the Buzz Williams era into a contender by playing the long game – something the Bruins are in dire need of.

Marquette guard Markus Howard was a top-50 recruit who averaged 13.2 points per game his freshman year. Now, as a junior, Howard is averaging 24.3 points per game on 43.4 percent 3-point shooting to go along with 4.4 assists and 4 rebounds a night.

That kind of long-term player development is exactly what UCLA needs, since in the past, most of its top recruits go one-and-done or fizzle out altogether. Wojciechowski wouldn’t compromise the Bruins’ top-level recruiting, but he would be a better player developer than Alford ever was.

Yes, the chances that Wojciechowski comes to Westwood are slim. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers – who are leading the coaching search – probably won’t even give him a call, let alone an offer.

But that doesn’t mean they’re right.

Interesting note: Myers – who played for UCLA from 1993 to 1997 – and Wojciechowski faced off on the court three times in their collegiate careers.

Wojciechowski has the perfect level of experience and is young enough to stick with UCLA for 25 years.

It’s a bit of a fantasy, but I’m still crossing my fingers that “Wojo” ends up on the Bruins’ bench next season.

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Sam Connon | Alumnus
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
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