Wojciech Myrda (March 18, 1979 – September 19, 2018) was a Polish professional basketball player. At tall, he played the
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
position. He was born in Poland but graduated from high school in the United States. Myrda attended
Ouachita Parish High School in
Monroe, Louisiana for his
senior year in 1997–98.
Myrda is best known for his collegiate career at the
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System.
History
ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Cen ...
between
1998–99 and
2001–02. During his four-year career, Myrda blocked a then-
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I record 535 shots, which was 43 more than the next closest player. He has since been passed by
Jarvis Varnado
Jarvis Lamar Varnado (born March 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Básquetbol. Varnado is known as a defensive specialist and is especially adept at shot blocking where he's ...
, whose 564 career blocks are now the most ever. In 2001–02, he led the nation in blocks per game, and in his final three seasons he finished in the top five for that statistical category. Myrda set a single game school record when he recorded 13 blocks against
Texas–San Antonio on January 17, 2002.
After college he went unselected and unsigned by any
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) teams. He spent the next four years playing professionally in Poland,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, but injuries hampered his play for most of his career.
See also
*
*
List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders
In basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal attempt without committing a foul. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I block title is awarded to the player with ...
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myrda, Wojciech
1979 births
2018 deaths
Basketball players from Louisiana
Centers (basketball)
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball players
Ouachita Parish High School alumni
Polish expatriate basketball people in the United States
Polish expatriate basketball people in Russia
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Polish men's basketball players
BC Avtodor Saratov players
Place of birth missing
Expatriate basketball people in Slovakia
Resovia (basketball) players