Steve Wojciechowski is becoming a source of breaking news for Marquette University basketball fans, as the first-year head coach followed up a June 10 tweet about how well Marquette alumni have represented the program with a message on June 11 that welcomed back one of the university's favorite sons, Travis Diener, back to the program as director of player personnel.
Extremely honored & excited to welcome @DienerTravis to the #mubb staff as Dir. of Player Personnel. http://t.co/wAYlbxxORi
— Steve Wojciechowski (@steve_wojo) June 11, 2014
The university announced the move with a statement shortly thereafter on Wednesday in which Diener said he is "excited to be coming back where it all began for me. I am extremely humbled that Coach Wojciechowski thinks highly enough of me to give me this opportunity as I start the next chapter in my life and more importantly come back to the place that means so much to me and my family."
Diener played from 2001–2005 and was a central figure in the Golden Eagles' Final Four run in 2003. He is the sixth leading scorer in Marquette history with 1,691 points, ranks second in 3-pointers made (284) and third in assists (617).
Drafted into the NBA in 2005, he played three seasons before continuing his career overseas. He retired earlier this week from Dinamo Sassari in Italy.
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
