Przemysław Marcin "Przemek" Karnowski (; born 8 November 1993) is the Arizona men’s basketball graduate assistant and a former

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger a ...

player. He completed his

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

career at

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2017, and played professionally in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He has also played for the Polish national team. He had been viewed by some

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

analysts as a potential first round pick in the 2016 draft, but chose to return to Gonzaga for his final season of college eligibility in 2016–17.

College career

Przemek narrowed his decision down to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Gonzaga Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonza ...

. He committed to Gonzaga on May 29, 2012. For his freshman season he was behind star Canadian center

Kelly Olynyk Kelly Tyler Olynyk ( ; born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he earned NCAA All- ...

, a future lottery pick in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

. In the 2013–14 season Karnowski averaged 10.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game as the Bulldogs' starting center.http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Przemek-Karnowski/Summary/24347 at RealGM.com As a junior, he averaged 11 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1 block per game. Due to back problems, Karnowski had surgery after playing only five games in his senior season. He was averaging 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in those five games. The surgery followed a prolonged episode of back pain so severe that by the time of the operation, it took him over an hour to get out of bed and perform normal morning activities; he was also unable to walk without crutches. He developed an infection after undergoing the surgery and lost roughly . Karnowski's recovery proceeded ahead of schedule; while he was told he would be unable to perform any strenuous activities for ten months post-operation, he was running after seven months. For the rest of his Gonzaga career, the team's training staff placed him on a customized conditioning program to protect his back, and he did not participate in any basketball-related activity outside of games and scheduled practices. On May 24, 2016, Gonzaga announced that Karnowski had received a medical redshirt and would return to the school for one final college season in 2016–17. In his final season with Gonzaga he led Gonzaga to the best start in the history of the organization (29-0) whilst posting the best offensive and defensive numbers of his career: 12.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.9 block in just 22.5 minutes per game coming to the

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

. On February 2, 2017, Karnowski became the career leader in wins for Gonzaga, passing

Kevin Pangos Kevin Joseph Pangos (born January 26, 1993) is a Canadian-Slovenian professional basketball player for GeVi Napoli of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He spent his college basketball career playing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Confe ...

and Kyle Dranginis (both 122 wins). Karnowski became the active leader in Division I basketball games played with 143, passing

Nigel Hayes Nigel Hayes-Davis ( Hayes; born December 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe S.K. (basketball), Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin ...

(

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

), Nate Britt and Isaiah Hicks (both

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

). Karnowski would be surpassed later that season by Hayes and Duke's Amile Jefferson, and passed both in a win in Gonzaga's Final Four matchup with

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. After the

2017 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament The 2017 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament was a postseason men's basketball tournament for the West Coast Conference held March 3–7, 2017 at the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Regular-season champion Gonzaga also won t ...

, Karnowski became the NCAA's career leader in wins with 132, passing

Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier ( ; born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ...

(131). During his senior season he was nominated to the

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

and Senior CLASS Award. Karnowski graduated with

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

Sport Management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...

and

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

with one of the highest GPAs in WCC, for which he was named to the 2016-17 WCC Men's Basketball All-Academic Team. With 13 points performance and two crucial baskets he led his team to a 77–73 victory in the NCAA tournament semifinal, giving the Gonzaga Bulldogs their first ever appearance in the NCAA March Madness Final. During his tenure with Gonzaga Bulldogs he became a fan favorite not only because his skills, but also because of his outgoing and friendly attitude as well as his signature beard. Some fans even wear fake beards during games to impersonate Karnowski. His name is found difficult to spell for basketball fans from the US, thus he was given fancy nicknames like "Shem" (short for "Przemysław"), "Big Shem," or "Mount Karnowski" (in reference to his size). His performances are also widely recognized in his country, Poland. Tens of thousands of Polish fans watched his March Madness surge overnight, because of the time difference.

College statistics

, - , align="left" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, align="left" ,

, 34 , , 1 , , 10.8 , , .567 , , – , , .444 , , 2.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , 2013–14 , align="left" ,

, 36 , , 36 , , 25.3 , , .593 , , .000 , , .500 , , 7.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" ,

, 38 , , 37 , , 24.5 , , .622 , , 1.000 , , .509 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 24.8 , , .594 , , – , , .462 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 39 , , 22.9 , , .601 , , .000 , , .582 , , 5.8 , , 2.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 12.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 152 , , 118 , , 21.2 , , .600 , , .333 , , .513 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 9.8

Professional career

In the 2011–12 season, Karnowski played for Siarka Jezioro Tarnobrzeg of the Polish PLK. In 35 games, he averaged 10.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. After the regular season, Karnowski won the PLK Rookie of the Year Award. He went undrafted in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, but joined the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

for the

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the ...

. On July 28, 2017, Karnowski agreed to terms with Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

team MoraBanc Andorra. On July 8, 2018, Karnowski part ways with MoraBanc Andorra. On August 16, 2018, he signed with

Twarde Pierniki Toruń Twarde Pierniki Toruń is a Polish professional basketball team based in Toruń. The team currently plays in the Polish Basketball League (PLK). The club has won Polish Cup and Polish Supercup titles in 2018. Currently the team plays under the name ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

. On August 17, 2020, Karnowski signed with Stelmet Zielona Góra of the PLK and the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

Professional career statistics

, - , align="left" , 2009–10 , align="left" , Pierniki Torun , 14 , , 0 , , 21.4 , , .560 , , .000 , , .612 , , 9.1 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 2.5 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , 2010–11 , align="left" , SMS Wladyslawowo , 23 , , 0 , , 31.0 , , .517 , , .250 , , .547 , , 9.6 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , 2.1 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" ,

ASK KS Siarka Tarnobrzeg KKS Siarka Tarnobrzeg was a Polish professional basketball team, founded in 1962 and based in Tarnobrzeg, Poland. The team played in the Polish Basketball League (PLK) in 2010s. KKS Siarka Tarnobrzeg club withdrew the team from the third-tier II ...

, 35 , , 18 , , 25.6 , , .520 , , .067 , , .560 , , 4.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , 1.2 , , 10.1 , - class="sortbottom"

International career

Karnowski guided the Polish junior national team to the championship game of the

2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship The 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship (German: FIBA U17-Weltmeisterschaft 2010) was the inaugural edition of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship contested by the U17 national t ...

, in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. He was named to the All-Tournament Team. and was named Best Center of the tournament by

Eurobasket.com Eurobasket.com, also commonly referred to as "Eurobasket News", is a basketball-centered website that provides coverage of every professional and semi-professional club basketball league from around the world, as well as many amateur level lea ...

after averaging 14.5 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per contest. Joining him on the official All-Tournament Team was Canada's

who would later be his teammate at Gonzaga. Karnowski represented the senior

Polish national basketball team The Poland men's national basketball team () represents Poland in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Polish Basketball Federation (PZKosz). Poland has competed at the EuroBasket on 28 occasions, with their best ...

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France men's national basketball ...

, in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. He averaged 3.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 0.3 APG.

Coaching career

Karnowski joined the Arizona men’s basketball staff as a graduate assistant in January 2023. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Marketing at Arizona.

References

External links

Gonzaga Bulldogs bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karnowski, Przemek 1993 births Living people Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players BC Andorra players Centers (basketball) Polish expatriate basketball people in Spain Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players Liga ACB players Polish expatriate basketball people in Andorra Polish expatriate basketball people in the United States Polish men's basketball players Siarka Tarnobrzeg (basketball) players Sportspeople from Bydgoszcz Twarde Pierniki Toruń players 21st-century Polish sportsmen