My Take on Wake - So Long to Two Good Ones

So Long to Two Good Ones

Al-Farouq Aminu and Dave Wojcik are two people I got to know pretty well, but not as well as I wanted to. Both said yesterday they were leaving Wake Forest, and I’m going to miss them.

I’ve written before how much I like Aminu. He wasn’t the easiest person to connect with off the bat, and it probably wasn’t until we had our first sit-down, one-on-one interview along about mid-February of his freshman season that I realized how open, congenial and sharp he really is. He’s a really intelligent young man, and that doesn’t always come through around those he’s not comfortable with. We had a great talk, and from that day forward we were solid. He always knew what I was asking and I always knew what he was telling me. That’s what you want. I got to know his brother Alade, who is a really engaging person, and his mother and younger brother, and I always wanted to catch up on them when we talked.

My only regret is that his career didn’t end as well as it should have. He had the late-season funk when he didn’t scratch at Florida State after scoring only seven the game before against North Carolina that probably cost him a spot on first-team All-ACC—despite the fact he lead the conference in rebounding. And no matter how anybody else saw it, he was sincerely convinced he had not been treated right by the officials in the first half of the season-ending loss to Kentucky. And that was coming from a player who almost never complained about anything.

But those who don’t think there’s a place for Al-Farouq Aminu in the NBA didn’t see the same player I did. He’s a rebounding machine and the other parts of his game are going to only continue to grow. Maybe it was my angle, but I thought he was amazing on the boards in the 81-80 victory over Texas. He was way above the throng, pulling rebounds off the high branches. He will be well-paid to play basketball these next 10 to 12 years, and I hope he gets everything that’s coming to him.

I got to work with Wojcik for only a year, but it’s a year I’ll remember the day in the not too distant future when he is named head coach at some university. His brother, Doug, is a head coach (at Tulsa) and Dave clearly wants to be one as well, as well he should. He probably saw a clearer path to that goal at Boise State where he will be the right-hand man (Leon Rice) of a coach with whom he has formed a strong bond from recruiting circles. Wojcik thinks Rice and Boise State are going places and he wants to go along. Gaudio gives all of his assistants plenty of responsibility, but Wojcik was probably never going to be the rising star of a staff that also boasts the likes of Jeff Battle and Rusty LaRue.

But thankfully, for me, Wojcik is not a hard guy to get to know. Actually he’s a hard guy to not get to know. He’s got the most intense, piercing eyes and he always comes off like he’s downed about six cups of coffee—the good stuff, strongly brewed. He was a trip to watch coach, loud and demanding, but laced with positive energy more often than not. When he was being discussed as a possible assistant at Wake, Athletics Director Ron Wellman asked Gaudio if Wojcik was like Pat Kelsey, the assistant to left for Xavier.

“I go, ‘No, no, Pat’s like Dave.’ ‘’ Gaudio replied. “See Dave coached Pat at Xavier. Pat is who he is, but I think Pat picked up a lot of what Dave was.”

One of the cool things about hanging out at practice is you get to know and talk with everybody, from Gaudio down through the assistant coaches and players to the staff and managers. None were friendlier or apparently happy to see me come around than Wojcik, and that was greatly appreciated. We laughed heartily the day I told him I once saw David Robinson and his brother Doug combine for 51 points for Navy in an NCAA game against Michigan. Robinson, for the record, scored 50.

Aminu is leaving and should. He’s off to pursue his dream of playing basketball for money, really, really good money. And though the Wojcik decision came as more of a surprise, I’ll have to trust him to know his own mind. Dave Wojcik, of all people, is going to know his own mind.

The ballyhooed recruiting class will come in and Wake Forest will field a basketball team next year. And Gaudio will find a good coach to replace Wojcik. He’s headed for Indianapolis today for the Final Four, and I imagine he’ll do his legwork these next few days.

Aminu and Wojcik will be replaced. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be missed.

Back to the main page.

By Dan Collins on 04/01/2010 (2:09 pm)

Comments

Thank you very much, Dan.

Considering he was spending a lot of time with the big guys, I can understand even more now why Coach Gaudio was so frustrated with the lack of production from the low post players over the course of the season.

Hopefully Coach Wojcik’s replacement will help Walker, Woods, Derosiers, etc. develop properly. Any idea if there is a shortlist of people that Coach Gaudio and Ron Wellman are talking to? Or if there is a profile that they have in mind? Thanks again.

DC on 04/06/2010 (9:49 am)

DC, You’re right to suppose that the roles are nowhere clearly as defined as they are in football. They overlap. But in general, Coach Battle was a point guard at Marshall, and he works most closely with the guards at Wake. Coach LaRue coordinated and coached the scout team and Coach Wojcik and Coach Gaudio worked more with the big men. I don’t know how it’s done at other schools, but I imagine the arrangement is pretty similar.
Jerry,
I would say Farouq is at least 2/3 athletic ability to 1/3 basketball skill. It might even be 2/3 to 1/4. But the pros will see that as something to work with.

Dan on 04/05/2010 (10:23 am)

Dan,

What is your experience with the division of labor among college coaching staffs? And does Wake Forest operate in any way that differs from the norm?

By its very nature, basketball doesn’t seem to be conducive to having an “offensive coordinator” or a “defensive coordinator”, but it does seem to be conducive to having one coach focus on the backcourt players and the other on the frontcourt players. Given Rust LaRue’s obvious expertise with the guards, do you think that Coach Gaudio will focus on replacing Coach Wojcik with an individual who can focus on getting Woods and Walker and the rest of the frontcourt to get the most out of their potential?

Thanks.

DC on 04/04/2010 (1:03 am)

Coach Wojcik’s leaving is puzzling, to me at least. I met his very lovely and friendly wife in New Orleans right after the Texas Wake game. She introduced herself to me and my daughter and volunteered to us about how much she and her husband loved being in Winston-Salem and at WF. She said that being at WF, especially because it was in the ACC, would help her husband get a head coaching job. And they left less than two weeks later? To Boise State? What happened? (We really liked her, BTW.)

Dick on 04/03/2010 (11:33 am)

Whatever we do about coaches—head or asst—we better get the right person and soon. I just read that speedy PG Marcus Rankin of Charlotte in class of 2011—-who I understand we have been recruiting hard—-has given a verbal to Greenburg at VA Tech.
Rankin and PF Barksdale of Danville are two 2011 players we really wanted and needed that have shunned us and commited to Va Tech. That should never happen—-in basketball, anyway.

Jerry on 04/03/2010 (10:32 am)

Randolph Childress! He was a real floor leader, never backed down and wanted the ball when the game was on the line. He would bring fire, intensity and excitement. And, he knows the Baltimore / DC area well.

DT on 04/02/2010 (10:46 pm)

Why not consider Butler’s coach after next year? I agree, Wake will be near the bottom next year. Should be Dino’s last year.

Jim on 04/02/2010 (8:46 pm)

i don’t blame either for leaving wake. Wake is going to be terriblee next year and everyone knows Rusty LaRue is being groomed to be the next head coach. I don’t know why they think Rusty will do a good job of being a good coach. He quit coaching Division 3 ball because he did not like riding on busses. Plus, he did not do so well there anyway. I say, Wake should get Tubby Smith. Get someone in charge of that program that knows what they are doing

Price on 04/02/2010 (4:28 pm)

Congratulations to the Chief! Would have liked to see him stay another year but I would have done the same thing.

Take the $$$ and run. At least if you invest it wisely, you should be set for life and can finish your degree later if desired…

For the poster Jerry who suggested Mugsy Bogues as an assistant…Great idea and one that should be pursued. Mugsy is probably set financially from his NBA days and would make one h… of a recruiter in the mid-Atlantic. Do not know if he would consider, but a fantastic idea!!!

Tom on 04/02/2010 (3:15 pm)

I really like the way Coach K hires his former players as asst coaches. I believe Wellman/Dino’s hiring of Rusty will prove to be a good move.
I don’t know just what Muggsy Bogues is doing now. I can see some positive reasons to consider him to replace Wojcik;I imagine high school point guards would be excited about the possibility of having Muggsy help them develop their skills. Also, since I understand he is a legend in Baltimore, a lot of doors would be open for him to recruit in Maryland, maybe DC as well.
Many people may say he can’t do the job, but remember that he showed the naysayers who said he would nver play, high school, college ball, or in the NBA. His drive and competiveness would make him an asset, in my opinion.
I realize there are compelling reasons to hire a coach with an outstanding track record rather than take a chance on Muggsy.
Just an idea.

Jerry on 04/02/2010 (12:57 pm)

Best of luck to both!

Question: if a player is part athletic ability and part basketball skill, what is Aminu’s makeup at this point of his career? Two-thirds athletic ability right now?

Obviously, the sky’s the limit if AFA commits to improving his shooting and ball-handling.

BL on 04/02/2010 (12:52 pm)

Frankly, I think that Coach Gaudio (with Ron Wellman’s help) has done a great job of forming his coaching team. Adding Coach Wojcik, who clearly is a future heading coaching candidate, serves as ample evidence that Coach Gaudio is willing to bring in strong coaching minds. Good for him.

As for Coach Wojcik, he seemed like a great addition to the staff, so I am sad to see him go so soon. That’s the risk you take when you hire very qualified assistant coaches though.

Aminue’s decision to go pro was a no-brainer in my opinion. I suspect that those who opine that he is not ready for the NBA are viewing the issue from the wrong perspective. The issue is not whether he is prepared to be a thirty-minute-per-night NBA player from day one of his rookie year. The issue is whether he is prepared to be a lottery pick, which he is. He will simply have to refine his ball handling and shooting during the first few years of his NBA career. In the mean time, his rebounding ability alone will allow him to make contributions to his NBA team, as Dan mentioned.

I don’t know Aminu personally, but he does strike me a genuinely good kid. So I am proud and excited to have another Wake Forest product to positively represent the school in the NBA. That is no small responsibility. Congratulations and best of luck to him.

DC on 04/02/2010 (11:02 am)

As I’ve mentioned before, I really hope Dino will swallow his ego and look for a coach who can add knowledge and coaching ability to his staff that will help us become a factor in March and April. I’m going to also miss Aminu. His rebounding presence is going to be hard to replace.

blitzball on 04/02/2010 (9:37 am)

Dead on, Dan!

I’ll miss AFA when our rebounding suffers next year. Hope he plays many years in the NBA and is as good a rep of WFU as have Timmy D and CP3.

Am a little more uneasy about Wojcik leaving. There has been too much turnover on our coaching staff, as a friend told me, and that can’t be good. Hope Dino and Wellman settle on a good, solid coach then leave the staff as is for a while.

Ken Green on 04/01/2010 (7:25 pm)