CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This truly is a family affair.
With serious and complicated consequences.
Doug Wojcik is an assistant coach for Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
Paxson Wojcik is a graduate-student guard at North Carolina.
They are father and son.
Michigan State and North Carolina play each other in the NCAA Tournament second round Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. in the Spectrum Center for a cherished place in the Sweet 16 regional in Los Angeles.
So, you get the point: This is pretty unique and special.
“It’s going to be really fun and obviously really special … not many fathers and sons get a share March Madness together like this,’’ Paxson said Friday.
“It’s a father’s dream,’’ Doug Wojcik said Friday from inside the Spartans locker room. “First of all, he plays at North Carolina. And secondly, I coach at Michigan State. So, that in itself is a win-win.’’
This actually will be the second time Doug has coached against Paxson, who played for Brown last year before transferring to UNC for this, his final year of eligibility. Brown played at Michigan State last season and lost, 68-50, while Paxson scored 10 points and had 13 rebounds in the game.
Paxson Wojcik (8) celebrates as Harrison Ingram looks on during North Carolina’s 90-62 win over Wagner. Getty Images“Playing at Michigan State last year as a senior at Brown was really cool, a great experience for me my family and I,’’ Paxson said. “But with what’s at stake in this tournament with the loser going home, obviously there’s more on the line. So, that definitely makes it harder.
“There definitely will be emotions involved. Just seeing him doing his thing coaching on the other sideline and him seeing me as an opposing player is definitely different from a normal game, so there’ll definitely be some emotions.’’
Asked if he has to avoid becoming too emotional, potentially trying to do too much in front of his father, Paxson indicated it might be the other way around.
“There’s a viral clip of him crying when the starting lineups came out [for the Brown game last season] that a lot of people saw, so I think he may have to control his emotions a little better than I do,’’ Paxson said.
Michigan State Spartans Assistant Coach Doug Wojcik looks on during the college basketball against Illinois. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesIt’ll certainly be most difficult for Paxon’s mom and Doug’s wife, Lael Wojcik, who’ll surely be torn, and for Paxson’s younger brother, Denham, who just finished his sophomore season as a guard on the Harvard hoops team.
“I think my wife will be rooting for the Heels and my other son will be rooting for the Spartans,’’ Doug said.
Paxson confirmed that intel.
“My mom, for sure, is going to have the toughest time, but my brother already texted me and said he’s rooting for Michigan State, so that was cold,’’ Paxson said.
North Carolina’s Paxson Wojcik (8) drives on Clemson’s IanSchieffelin during a game earlier this season. AP
“I think it’ll be a bunch of emotions, whether it’s excitement or nervousness,’’ UNC guard and leading scorer RJ Davis said. “I know if it was me and I was playing against my dad, I would be locked in. But if I had a corner 3-pointer near his bench, I would definitely turn around and talk some trash to my dad.’’
Paxson, who averages 8.3 minutes per game, had a 3-pointer and two rebounds in the Tar Heels’ 90-62 win over Wagner in Thursday night’s opening round. His father sat in the stands for the game — watching his son and scouting the Tar Heels, for whom he was an assistant coach from 2000-03.
“It’s gotta be a weird position for him to be in — trying to have a serious face on when he’s scouting, but also be watching your son,” Paxson said.
“It’ll be really cool in pregame and leading up to the game and after the game, years from now, talking about. But once that ball’s tipped, he’s on his sideline, I’m on mine and we’re just trying to win and it’s just another ballgame.’’
No, it’s not.
Paxson grew up around Michigan State while his father coached in his first stint there, and he was best friends with Izzo’s son, Steven, who’s a graduate-student guard on this Spartans team.
“We used to take them on recruiting trips,’’ Izzo recalled. “We’d beg the moms to let their son come to our place by using our kids at bait.’’
Izzo took the more pragmatic approach as it relates to Doug and Paxson meeting on opposite sides Saturday.
“We played Brown last year and that was an emotional time,’’ Izzo said. “How does it get any more emotional? I guess, if you look at it on the good side, [Doug] is going to LA either way — either with me or with Pax. So, I guess that’s the positive side of it for him.’’
