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CHAPEL HILL – Paxson Wojcik is somewhat of a legacy at North Carolina.
His father was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels under Matt Doherty from 2000-03, a period in which Paxson was born.
More than two decades later, and a Wojcik is again a part of the UNC basketball program, as the graduate transfer is ready for his lone season in Carolina blue. He brings Hubert Davis’ team veteran experience, savvy, skill, and leadership, as Wojcik was a captain last season at Brown.
All of this was evident to Davis within the first few months Wojcik was on campus.
“I’ve been blown away by Paxson,” UNC’s coach said in late July. “His ability to gather teammates and bring guys together has been unbelievable.”
It was Wojcik’s second college stop, where he played the last two seasons. The first two years of his college basketball career were at Loyola (Chicago). As a senior, Wojcik was second on the Bears in scoring at 14.9 points per contest, second in rebounds at 7.2 per outing, and he led Brown in assists handing out 3.2 per game.
Brown had numerous games in which he scored at a high clip, grabbed a lot of rebounds, and often dished to teammates leading to scores. Wojcik scored 14 or more points in 15 of Brown’s 27 games; he handed out four or more assists 13 times, as many as six four times, including three in the final seven games; and he grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five games with a high of 13 in a loss at Michigan State, where his father, Doug Wojcik, is an assistant coach.
The Bears visited East Lansing early last season, and for the first time in his life, father actually had to scut son, offering him a different glimpse of his game. Here’s part of what Doug Wojcik said about Paxson in a meeting with the media the day before the game:
“Now that I’ve gotten into the scouting portion of it, I see all the little things that he does. He is a very good screener. He is a very good passer. He leads them in assists and is near the top in steals. It’s little things about the game. I think he’s a good leader. I’ve always taught the boys to be a good leader; can you raise people up? And I think he’s done a good job with that.”
Wojcik’s point production improved as the season went on and he settled into more of a role demanding he score at a high rate. All five of his 20-plus point games came over Brown’s five eight contests.
He averaged 19.9 points in those final eight games to go with 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Wojcik shot 51.1 percent from the field in that stretch, including 39.1 percent from 3-point range, and was 43-for-56 from the free throw line, which is 76.8 percent, and an averaged of seven free throw attempts per contest.
At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, the lefthander has a fluid game, can get the ball into the lane and hit mid-range jumpers and floaters, and a catch-and-shoot guy, and also has a quick release off the dribble from the perimeter. He can play the two or three for the Tar Heels, and should fit in nicely.
“He came to us with great habits,” Brown Coach Mike Martin said last fall at the Ivy League Media Day. “Paxson is the son of a coach at Michigan State. He’s from an athletic family… Paxson is driven to lead, he’s got an infectious personality, I think he has great leadership abilities.”
A few games of note:
*In the loss at Michigan State, Wojcik scored 10 points (3-for-11 field goals, 1-for-6 from three), with 13 rebounds and four assists.
*In a loss at Northwestern, he scored 13 points (4-for-13, including 4-for-9 from three), with eight rebounds and four assists.
*In a home win over eventual Sweet 16 member Princeton, Wojcik finished with 14 points (5-for-10, 1-for-3), five rebounds and four assists.
*In a road loss at Princeton, he totaled 15 points (4-for-13, 0-for-5), with eight boards and one assist.
Reason For Optimism
Wojcik wasn’t brought in to post Brady Manek numbers from the portal, nor was he some kind of “swap” for Caleb Love, that some people suggested. He is a piece for the upcoming season, and he’s an experienced piece, an older player who can do a lot of different things, not just try to shoot jumpers from the perimeter.
Wojcik is an active player, so he can positively impact a game even if he doesn’t score much. UConn had a very important senior reserve (Joey Calcaterra) this past season who was at a small program (San Diego U) before hitting the portal, and he helped it win a national championship. Wojcik is a nice piece to UNC’s roster.
2023-24 Projection
Wojcik will serve as an important part of Carolina’s rotation, and could have nights where he gets extended minutes given the nature of the opponent and how the game is played. As noted above, Calcaterra averaged 14,5 minutes per game for UConn, so Wojcik could be in that range, and if that’s what Hubert Davis wants, Wojcik will embrace it.
