One of the most intense recruiters ever at Wake Forest has been recruited away.
Dave Wojcik said yesterday he will leave after one season with the Deacons' program to accept the position as associate head coach at Boise State.
Wojcik said he is making the move because of his friendship with, and regard for, Leon Rice, who was named the Broncos' head coach on March 26 after serving 11 years as an assistant at Gonzaga.
"It's really a hard decision for me, don't get me wrong," Wojcik said yesterday. "But the bottom line is Leon is a really good friend. They had me out to check out the place and they have tremendous facilities. I really, really like the people out there. It just felt right to me.
"And, honestly, the ultimate bottom line is it's Leon Rice."
Wojcik has never coached with Rice, but he got to know him through recruiting circles as an assistant coach at Tulsa. Wojcik worked for his brother, head coach Doug Wojcik of the Golden Hurricane, from the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 season.
Previously, Wojcik was at assistant at Dayton, Navy, Loyola of Maryland, Xavier, West Liberty State and James Madison.
He left Tulsa to join the staff at Wake Forest in May of 2009.
"I've known Leon from basically recruiting over the years," Wojcik said. "I recruited out in the west and got to know him more and more. We just built a very good relationship, friendship, where he had been watching me from afar, as he says.
"I always felt like I could see myself working for him, and we talked about that before. We never knew it would come this quickly, and it did. And that's how it went down, to be honest with you."
Wojcik's departure shakes up the Wake Forest staff for the second straight season. After the 2008-09 season, Pat Kelsey left to become associate head coach at Xavier and Mike Muse was reassigned from assistant coach to director of basketball operations. Muse later left Wake Forest to teach at East Forsyth High School and coach as an assistant to his brother, Andy Muse, at Mount Tabor High School.
Coach Dino Gaudio filled his staff with Wojcik, whom he has known since he coached Wojcik at Wheeling Central High School in Wheeling, West, Va., and Rusty LaRue, who played for the Deacons from the 1992-93 season through the 1995-96 season.
"Dave did a great job for us the year he was here,'' Gaudio said. "It's a great opportunity he has. We hate to lose him, but our whole thing is to help people move up the ladder.
"We're going to miss him.''
Gaudio, who leaves for the Final Four today, said he has no timetable for naming a replacement.
Wojcik said that the title of associate head coach at Boise State was not a major consideration.
"It's not about titles, or this or that," Wojcik said. "I know I had a lot of say this year with Coach Gaudio. So the title, to me, is not why.
"I would not be leaving -- it's just an unusual situation that happened with Leon. No other person would I really be leaving for, that I know of that's close to me.
"The other side of it is, too, is I know Leon wouldn't be leaving Gonzaga if he didn't feel like it was a great situation at Boise State. He had the best assistant job in the country."
dcollins@wsjournal.com.
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