By: Jill Wunrow
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - When Green Bay women's basketball senior Julie Wojta (Francis Creek, Wis.) was growing up in a small town of approximately 700 people within a 1.1 mile square radius, playing sports in the backyard with the neighbor kids was a common occurrence. Wojta's neighbor, Adam Krajnik, was also seeking a teammate to go to the park and play two-on-two against other boys in the neighborhood or a simple game of one-on-one in the backyard.

"The neighbor boy would always want to play basketball with my brothers but they never wanted to play so I agreed to play," said Wojta who was in the fifth grade at that time. "The extra competition from when I was a kid playing against older boys definitely gave me a higher level of competition and helped me be better as a player."

Wojta's high level of competition from the backyard basketball with Krajnik helped her earn Olympian Conference Player of the Year honors twice during her prep career as well as an Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention selection during her junior campaign at Mishicot High School. Wojta was also a standout on the track and field team, finishing fifth in the shot put at the 2006 WIAA Division 2 state championship.

"Growing up in a small town it's expected that you play three sports so I did volleyball, basketball and track," said Wojta laughing.

Basketball brought Wojta to Green Bay and perhaps the level of competition playing against and with Krajnik and other neighbor boys helped her become one of the best players at the number five position the Phoenix has seen in recent time.

"She is so explosive and such a great athlete," said Green Bay head coach Matt Bollant. "She has a tough, fighter mentality, is very coachable and cares about the team so much."

Wojta's accolades earned in high school were not because of her presence in the post position but rather her ability to set the tempo of the game from the two and three positions or even in some cases the point position. Wojta was recruited to play the guard/three position at Green Bay, until Phoenix alumni Lavesa Glover (2006-09) graduated, leaving a void in the number five spot.

"We knew Kayla (Tetschlag) could play inside at the number four and was such a great passer so we didn't think it  was going to be a great move to put her at the five," said Bollant. "The decision to put Julie at the five position was really about her athleticism and her ability to be aggressive."

As any player does, Wojta liked to shoot the ball but had a tendency to move a bit too fast for her guard position.

"One of the reasons I think the coaches made the move was because I tried to move too quick all the time so putting me in the post would slow me down," Wojta said laughing. "I used to get a lot of traveling calls early in my career here."

"We wanted to simplify the game for her and as coaches we always try to place players where they're going to have the most success," Bollant said of his decision to move Wojta to the post. "Once we moved her to the five we knew right away it was going to work and she took off from there."

"I actually didn't have a heads up, coach came into practice and just said, 'Julie, play at the five today' and the rest is history; I was just glad they gave me the opportunity to help the team on the court" Wojta said. "From time to time I do like to step out from the post but ultimately I think they made the right decision putting me there."

Wojta's presence in the post has not gone unnoticed as the small-town girl from Francis Creek, Wis. is a two-time Second Team All-Horizon League selection and this season named to the preseason First Team All-League.

"Coming here to Green Bay five years ago I never thought I'd receive the honors I have to this point," Wojta said of her accolades. "The way this program makes players grow both on and off the court is something really special."

After Wojta redshirted the 2007-08 season she appeared in 22 games her freshman campaign, at the guard position, averaging 8.2 minutes, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 points per game. When Wojta was moved to the post position her sophomore year, she poured in an average 14.0 ppg, grabbed an average of 6.2 rpg and has started every game since the start of the 2009-10 season.

"One of the neatest things as a coach is to see players develop and Julie has definitely done that since she first arrived here on campus," Bollant said. "She was so shy and gave one word answers her first year and now is leading this team both vocally and by example through her work ethic."

As Wojta has continued to improve year after year, this season fans and opponents can expect to see impressive performances by Wojta who tipped off her senior campaign with a double double performance posting a game high 21 points and 11 rebounds while grabbing six steals. In addition, the 6'0" forward became the 29th member of the 1,000 point club.

Not a bad way to start the season as a member of the No. 1 ranked Mid-Major in the country, with the best from Wojta still ahead.

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