Przemek Karnowski wins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award

Przemek Karnowski was honored with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award at the College Basketball Awards in Los Angeles on Friday night. The award is given to college basketball’s best center, so it is only fitting that Karnowski takes it home.

Karnowski becomes the third player to win the recently created Abdul-Jabbar Award, and joins Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky (2015) and Utah’s Jakob Poeltl (2016) as recipients of the honor. He beat out Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Tim Kempton (Lehigh), and Ethan Happ (Wisconsin).

After completing a phenomenal collegiate basketball career that saw him finish atop the list of the NCAA’s winningest players with 137 career victories, Karnowski gets to add one final trophy to his mantle. And it is certainly well deserved.

Karnowski averaged 12.2ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.9apg, and 0.9bpg while shooting 58.6% from the field, but his dominance extended beyond the box score. Whether it was slicing apart double teams or locking down the paint on defense, the big man from Poland consistently made his presence felt on the floor.

Fittingly, ESPN’s Jay Bilas, who famously accepted the challenge to grow a Karnowski-inspired beard should Gonzaga make the Final Four, presented Karnowski with the award. Unfortunately for Bilas, he still has a ways to go in order to catch up with our favorite chicken enthusiast.

Congratulations, Przemek!