Michigan State assistant Doug Wojcik has the scouting report on his son, Paxson, of Brown University

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has a track record of scheduling non-conference games against teams with a connection to his own program.

Sometimes that means playing non-conference games in the home state or country of one of his players, as Michigan State did for point guard Tum Tum Nairn in 2016 with the Battle4Atlantis in The Bahamas. And sometimes that means playing non-conference games against teams coached by individuals with a personal connection to Izzo or the Michigan State program.

Then there are the family-connection games. Back in 2011, Izzo scheduled a game against Nebraska-Omaha, enabling Draymond Green to play against his brother, Torrian Harris. In 2019, Michigan State scheduled an exhibition game against Division 3 Albion College so that star guard Cassius Winston could play against younger brothers Zach and Khy. There was also the ACC-Big Ten Challenge showdown between Joey Hauser and his older brother that was cancelled by a Covid-19 outbreak at Virginia.

Saturday’s match-up between Michigan State and Brown is a slightly different family-connection game for the Spartans. In this meeting, the family connection is between Michigan State assistant Coach Doug Wojcik, and his son Paxson, a senior guard at Brown. Wojcik’s youngest son, Denham, who also plays in the Ivy League, is a sophomore at Harvard.

“It’s just a great time in life,” said Wojcik, relishing the match-up between Michigan State and Brown. “So many parents put so much into their youth sports with their kids and then to see your sons grow up and develop and actually have a chance to play in college is pretty special. We don’t take it for granted. We are very grateful.”

As meaningful as this game is to Doug Wojcik on a personal level, it will not be as easy as past family-connection games in which the Spartans were able to cruise to victory without breaking a sweat. Brown (6-4) enters this game with momentum, having won five straight games after starting the season with three losses in it’s first four.

“When we scheduled this team, we figured this is an Ivy League team that hasn’t been very good, but they have won five of their last seven,” Izzo said. “And they beat a team that beat Syracuse. And they beat Rhode Island on the road. It’s a good team. And they have a great little guard (Keno Lilly Jr ), and Paxson is playing really well.”

‘They have talent’

Lilly (6-0, 165, Soph.) was the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. During Brown’s five-game winning streak, Lilly is averaging 17.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. He is also averaging 3.5 threes per game during that span.

Then there is Paxson Wojcik, a 6-5, 200-pound wing, who began his college basketball career at Loyola of Chicago, before transferring to Brown, where he started 27 games last season. He has taken on an even bigger role as a senior.

“They have talent,” Wojcik said. “Lilly is a player. He can get his shot on his own. He can get his shot from other people because people are looking for him and they run a ton of stuff for him. They run most of the things through Lilly and through Paxson.”

Paxson Wojcik is averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game for Brown. He has been a solid perimeter scorer throughout his college career and ranks second behind Lilly in made threes.

Paxson Wojcik, and his brother, spent this summer training and working out in East Lansing. Ivy League teams don’t have summer basketball programs, so they stayed with their mother and father, near MSU’s campus.

They went through weight training at MSU’s facility, and played open gym with the Michigan State players.

“They’re all friends,” said Doug Wojcik.

Like it or not, it paid off with improvement for Paxson Wojcik.

“Paxson is one of the leaders on this team and he is really having a great year,” Izzo said. “They play hard, they can score it. They can do some things. We’ll have our hands full.” 

As the assistant coach tasked with the scout of this game, Doug Wojcik has gained a deeper appreciation for his son’s game.

“Now that I’ve gotten into the scouting portion of it, I see all the little things that he does,” Wojcik said. “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.”

The duo of Lilly and Wojcik are critical to Brown’s success. When they are playing well, the rest falls into place. That’s not to say that Brown doesn’t have other players capable of creating match-up issues for Michigan State.

“Their big guys are athletic and long,” Wojcik said. “They have won five straight. They have won five straight on the road. They could easily be 8-2. I think it will be a challenging game. I think it will be a fun game. I think that they have a legitimate chance to be one of the top four teams in the Ivy League to make the tournament.” 

Some Risk, Greater Reward

Between Brown’s upset win at Rhode Island early this season, and Cornell’s recent near upset of Miami (Fla.) in game where both teams reached the century mark in scoring, there is enough to put Michigan State coaches on edge coming into this game. If the Spartans don’t give Brown their full attention and best effort, they could be ripe for an upset.

Games like this one, and upcoming non-conference games against Oakland and Buffalo, are rife with potential danger. Mid-major teams that Michigan has scheduled are more talented than many of the sacrificial lamb type programs crisscrossing the country to cash paychecks and pump revenue into their athletic departments before the start of conference play.

“Most people are playing some of these teams that are 350th; we’re not,” Izzo said. “So even our what you call ‘buy’ games, since they come here and we don’t go to their place, Oakland is one of them, and you know what Oakland has been like forever, no matter what their record is. And Buffalo is one of them, and they are really good. Brown was one we didn’t think would be as good and now they are on a hot streak. So, the carryover has got to be can we consistently do the things we have to do now to get better?”

Although playing Brown is not without risk, it is also more than worth the reward for the Wojcik family.

“This was a good thing for Brown and a pretty good thing for us,” Izzo said. “Once you get through it, for Doug and Lael and Paxson, it’s one of those things you will talk about until the day that Doug and Lael are done and then the day that the two boys are done. It’s just one of those things that is a memory-making moment and you have to make it a positive, as long as we win.”

As for loyalty, Lael Wojcik will be sitting behind the Brown bench in support of her oldest son. And with Harvard not having a game this weekend, her youngest son Denham will also be on hand to cheer on his brother.

“My wife, she will be sitting behind the Brown bench,” Doug Wojcik said. “We know who pays the bills. Harvard is off for two weeks. They don’t have practice Satruday, so he will be at the game.”