It’s always interesting getting to meet new Jazz people whenever they’re brought in by the organization.
Sometimes the initial meeting happens through some official event, but then getting to know them occurs more organically — like when I showed up to the SLC Stars’ media day at the beginning of this past season wearing a Philadelphia Eagles hat (I was having a bad hair day), and as a result, formed a quick connection with Stars GM Marquis Newman, who also happens to be an Eagles die-hard.
Wednesday yielded another meet-and-greet of sorts, as the Jazz/Stars held an introductory news conference for Steve Wojciechowski (a name that I can now miraculously spell without having to look it up), the new Stars head coach.
But there were several other tidbits that came up during the session which I found interesting but which didn’t necessarily fit that article:
• His good friend Quin Snyder didn’t warn him against the organization. It’s no secret that when Snyder left the organization, there was potential there for some bad feelings. And so, you’d figure that two guys who have a history dating back to overlapping years at Duke in the 1990s would have an in-depth conversation about Wojo coming here. And they did.
“Quin’s feelings about the Jazz organization and Salt Lake City — he loves this place,” Wojciechowski said. “Maybe the most excited person for me outside of my family was him, because of how much he respects the organization and the people in it.”
• He legitimately enjoys being in Utah. He’s gotten to know it well because his wife is from the state, and they were spending a fair amount of time here even before moving to Park City full-time. He concedes that, like many others, he didn’t always have a great view of the state, but living here has changed his perception.
“I love Utah. If you would have [told] me as a 16-year-old growing up outside Baltimore City, like, ‘You’re gonna live in Utah someday,’ I would’ve been like, ‘I don’t know about that,’” Wojciechowski said, laughing. “But I’ve fallen in love with the place, and my kids love it, and that’s really important to me.”
• When I asked him about the various things he’s been spending his time on these past two years (because it hasn’t been all about the seventh- and eighth-graders), he went into some detail about the work he did for ESPN. While he’s not now a serious journalist, he said it did give him a greater appreciation for the job the media does. It also made him realize how much he missed being on the other side.
“I worked for ESPN this year, which was great — I tell people it’s like being in the amusement park without getting on the scary rides, you know, being on TV and calling basketball games,” he said. “But I’m ready to get back on the scary ride.”
Quick hits
• I love reading mock drafts. I also love writing them. Here’s my mock draft version 2.0, which came out two weeks ahead of the actual draft on June 22.
• In case you missed it, here’s my mock draft 1.0 from a few weeks prior.
• From the previous HBTJ newsletter (graciously put together by Andy Larsen and Aaron Falk, as I worked on a few other projects), Jazz associate GM David Fizdale is returning to coaching, as an assistant for the Suns.
• Walker Kessler, who was exceedingly media-friendly during his rookie season, took a turn asking the questions in an NBA Finals appearance. (via KSL Sports)
• Me and Andy have taken our turns throwing out some Jazz draft possibilities at Nos. 9, 16, and 28. Here, fellow Jazz beat writer Sarah Todd takes a crack at some names for the 28th pick. (via Deseret News)
