Denham Wojcik’s role comes into focus as Michigan State eyes another Final Four
Playing through injury and thrust into bigger minutes, the veteran guard could be the key to easing Jeremy Fears’ burden against a relentless Connecticut defense
At times, a portion of the fan base may not always believe in Denham Wojcik.
But Michigan State head men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo knows better.
Izzo understands that if his program is going to reach its ninth Final Four under his leadership with a pair of victories this weekend, Wojcik’s contributions will matter more than most realize.
READ MORE: The Curious Case of Denham Wojcik
Pressed into a more significant role following Divine Ugochukwu’s season-ending left foot injury, suffered in the Feb. 4 loss at Minnesota, Wojcik has been — and will continue — playing through a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
“He’s tougher than nails,” Izzo said of his backup point guard, who will need shoulder surgery once the season ends. “He can play through pain, put it that way. But I think he’s going to be fine. I talked to him (Monday), and he was doing a lot better, and he’ll get a little bit of rest and that’ll help him.”
Wojcik, a fifth-year senior guard transfer from Harvard and the son of longtime associate head coach Doug Wojcik, has appeared in 11 games since Ugochukwu went down.
He scored four points in Michigan State’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory over 14th-seeded North Dakota State and re-aggravated the injury in the second-round win over sixth-seeded Louisville.
Any pressure he can alleviate from Jeremy Fears Jr. could mean everything.
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