Witucky Goes Out a Winner and Record-Setter

“And starting at guard for The College of Wooster … No. 20 … Kyle Witucky.”

That introduction was bellowed out by public address announcers across NCAA Div. III gymnasiums the last four basketball seasons. So much so, Witucky set the Div. III national record for games played with 123, and he started each and every one of them.

How does a player rack up 123 GP’s when Div. III teams are limited to 25 regular season games?

Number one is that he must be on a winning team that will advance far in the postseason. Wooster has certainly done that of late. With Witucky manning the point guard position the last four years, the Scots extended their string of consecutive appearances in the finals of the conference tournament to 11, winning twice, and they’ve been in at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament every season since 2002-03 as well, highlighted by reaching the “Final Four” (2003) and the “Elite Eight” (2004).

“It means a lot not just for me, but for our program,” said Witucky about the record. “This program puts a player in a position, where I can play that many games … 30 every year. It just happened to be me that was healthy.”

Which leads to the second answer to our question. He must avoid injury.

Using a combination of top-notch conditioning and good fortune, Witucky was the “Ironman” of the Wooster basketball team. There were only a couple of games during his entire career, in which his status was even questionable, and he only recalled missing two or three practices.

“I hated to ever sit there and watch (practice). I felt like I should be out there competing and working just as hard as the rest of my teammates.”

The third part of the answer, although it may be an obvious one, is that he must be a great player, in order to earn immediate minutes for a nationally-ranked team.

Entering his freshman year, Witucky, who chose the Scots over Div. I Western Carolina University, New York University, and NAIA Tiffin University, which had offered him a full-ride, was unsure the type of impact he would make. He learned quickly, as the coaching staff not only immediately placed him into the rotation, but awarded him the starting point guard spot, which had been vacated by the graduation of Antwyan Reynolds.

And all Witucky did was respond by averaging 7.7 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals, in addition to earning a team-high 29.5 minutes per game and helping direct Wooster to its first-ever “Final Four.” Looking back, that turned out to be the highlight of his career.

“It seemed all too easy getting there (that) year. When we were down in Salem, you know I thought this is a great experience, and thought we’d be back again. I kind of took it for granted. Now, I realize how difficult it is to get back and what a great run that really was.”

While the Scots haven’t gotten back to “Final Four” yet, it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort by Witucky’s part the last three seasons. He developed into an all-conference player as a sophomore, averaging 7.7 points and 3.0 assists for a 26-4 team that got edged by John Carroll University (70-64) in the national quarterfinals.

Witucky’s junior year was his best, at least statistically speaking, as he averaged 10.0 points, many coming on 46.7 percent 3-point shooting (64-of-137), and 3.7 assists en route to all-region and first-team all-conference recognition. As a squad, Wooster went 24-1 during the regular season, including winning the North Coast Athletic Conference championship, but bowed out in the NCAA’s at Albion College.

Asked to run a bit of a revised offense this season, Witucky more than complied, averaging 8.7 points and a career-high 3.7 assists while directing a relatively young team to another NCAC championship. As a senior, he picked up his third all-conference citation as well as an all-region honor again, and was named one of 16 finalists nationwide (one of two in Div. III) for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the top collegiate point guard.

Some may not think his scoring and assist numbers are eye-popping enough to be considered one of the top players in the nation, but there is one that sticks out – Wooster’s record with Witucky. The Scots won 109 games (compared to just 14 losses), which ranks as the most during a four-year stretch in school history, and that’s the number that he and his coach like best.

“Kyle ranks right up there at the top with all players that played at Wooster when you consider his overall contributions,” summarized Wooster’s 19-year head coach Steve Moore. “He would do whatever it would take to win games, and that’s what Kyle was all about … team success.”

Witucky’s awards were not limited to his on-the-court ability. An equally hard worker in the classroom, he was voted first-team academic all-district, and appears ready for much more success down the road.

Law school is next on Witucky’s agenda. He’s applied to six graduate schools across Ohio, as he’ll be moving on from Wooster, but certainly not forgotten. His name will reside in the NCAA Div. III and Wooster record books, and his influence will be felt within the program for seasons to come.

“We always talk about how we want talented players, and we want talented players to continue to come here, but more important to us is getting quality people,” Moore explained. “Kyle is the epitome of that. He was an outstanding student, great citizen, and able to be a role model for younger players in our program. So, with Kyle we have the type of player and person we strive to have in our program.”