Top 5 centers in the WCC this past season

Mar 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs center Przemek Karnowski (24) reacts with teammates Kyle Dranginis (3) and Kevin Pangos (4) after scoring a basket against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first half of a men

No. 2 – Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga)

Preseason Rank: 3

Przemek Karnowski was a highly coveted for Gonzaga and its coaching staff, and when he committed to the Bulldogs two springs ago, lofty expectations on Karnowski’s career as a Zag were instantly put on the Polish big man.

However, with Kelly Olynyks breakout season in 2012-2013, Karnowski was not given ample minutes in order to succeed until this year.

At the start of the year, it seemed like Karnowski was a tad bit overrated. At times, he looked extremely passive in the paint and was being bullied by players that shouldn’t be able to push around a 7-1, 296 pound center.

However, by the end of the season, Karnowski transformed into one of the Bulldogs best players. Game in and game out, Karnowski was bringing it on the defensive end and altering virtually every shot taken by the opponent in some form of the other. He made a statement defensively that players who take the ball right at him will be punished.

Long story short, with Karnowski, the Bulldogs would have had a tough time winning the WCC tournament and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

From a statistical standpoint, Karnowski scored 10.4 points and snagged 7.1 rebounds per game. However, one would need to go beyond the statistics to truly understand Karnowski’s true impact. The answer is in the game tape.

If Karnowski builds off of his successes in the later part of this season in the summer, expect a dominant season from the Poland native next year.