Steven Michael Wojciechowski — pronounced woe-ju-HOW-skee, and known to everyone as Wojo — was born August 11, 1976, in Severna Park, Maryland. He was a first-generation college student. He attended Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore, where he played under Baltimore Catholic League head coach Ray Mullis and became one of the top high school point guards in the country. He was named to the 1994 McDonald’s All-American Team, playing against future Duke teammates Trajan Langdon and Ricky Price in the game.
He chose Duke. At 5-foot-11, he was never the most physically gifted player on the floor. But he played with a ferocity that bordered on possession. Dean Smith once expressed his admiration and reminded UNC fans — who had mocked Wojciechowski — that there was a reason he had wanted Wojo in Carolina Blue.