Already with two of college basketballβs best post players, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd added one of his favorite bigs to the roster Wednesday.
That is, former Gonzaga standout center Przemek Karnowski joined the Wildcats as a graduate assistant coach.
Having helped the Zags reach the 2017 Final Four in Phoenix, Karnowski is still just 29 but Lloyd said the Polish 7-footer has been facing a series of injury issues that are forcing him to stay away from the game, at least temporarily.
So Karnowski showed up in Tucson on Tuesday night, enrolled in spring semester classes at UA, and showed up for practice Wednesday. He will effectively replace the GA spot vacated by Ryan Anderson, who left last spring to rejoin former UA coach Sean Miller at Xavier as the Musketeersβ director of recruiting.
βThereβs a ton of value having a big-man GA. Thereβs just not a lot of them out there,β Lloyd said of Karnowski after the Wildcats practiced Wednesday. βAnd obviously he and I have a special relationship, a long history, and unfortunately his bodyβs not letting him play the game anymore. Heβs a heck of a player and heβs young, so he and I talked over the summer and fortunately itβs worked out now so Iβm excited about it.β
Karnowski, who played just five games as a junior in 2015-16 because of a back issue that included a bacterial infection, has mostly played in Spanish and Polish leagues since leaving the Zags following the 2016-17 Final Four season. But Lloyd said his injuries flared up again this season, prompting him to consider joining the Wildcats.
While Karnowski wasnβt available for comment, Lloyd said he has been contemplating a move into coaching.
βIβm not saying he wonβt play, that heβs done forever,β Lloyd said. βBut his body has given him a lot of problems. In college, he had major back surgery and basically he had a he had a disc replaced, and thereβs just been a lot β an Achilles injury and knee injuries.
βSo heβs finishing up his degree and seeing if this coaching thing works out or (if heβll be) going into the real world.β
Not only was Karnowski already looking like a coach Wednesday but also a player. As a GA, Karnowski is allowed to participate in on-court coaching and, while practices are normally closed to media, he could be seen banging around on the court with β and instructing β UA bigs Dylan Anderson and Henri Veesaar once media were allowed in toward the end of practice for interviews.
βShimmy was one of the smartest players Iβve ever been around,β Lloyd said. βHe always thought the game like a coach and heβs just a very unique player.β
Lloyd then noted exactly what he meant by unique. Karnowski has, after all, about 300 pounds on his 7-foot frame.
βThe beautiful thing about Shimmy is you donβt need a blue (blocking) pad. He just uses his body. So itβll be great for all of our guys.β
UA sets Ring of Honor dates
Arizona has announced dates for four menβs basketball Ring of Honor inductions, starting with former center Ernie McCray on Saturday during the Wildcatsβ game with UCLA.
McCray and former UA forward Al Fleming were already honored, on Feb. 27, 2021, but fans were not allowed at McKale Center that season. So McCray is being invited into McKale Center this weekend while Flemingβs family is scheduled to be on hand for his ceremony on Feb. 2, during UAβs game with Oregon at McKale Center. Fleming passed away in 2003.
Later in February, former UA guard Josh Green (Feb. 16 vs Utah) and former UA forward Zeke Nnaji (Feb. 18 vs. Colorado) will be inducted. Both are expected to be on hand because it is NBA All-Star weekend.
Even though Green and Nnaji played for the Wildcats only during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, Nnaji qualified for the Ring of Honor because he was named the Pac-12βs Freshman of the Year that season and Green qualified because he won an Olympic medal (bronze) with Australia.
Funny business
Courtney Ramey hit the 500-rebound mark Saturday at Oregon, making him the second Wildcat on the roster with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds along with Azuolas Tubelis.
Ramey has 1,425 points and 501 rebounds between his four seasons at Texas and his half-season at Arizona, while Tubelis has 1,184 points and 570 rebounds over two and a half seasons at Arizona.
Then thereβs reserve forward Cedric Henderson, who has 1,322 points and 477 rebounds over his three seasons at Campbell and half-season with the Wildcats.
But when UA broadcaster Brian Jeffries brought those numbers to Lloydβs attention during their radio show Monday, that only ratcheted up expectations.
βNow that I know they both have had 500 rebounds, Iβm going to be on them to rebound more,β Lloyd said.
When Jeffries told Lloyd that Henderson was merely close to that mark but would get there before the end of the season, Lloyd went on anyway.
βWell, letβs get 15 of them this weekend,β Lloyd said.
As it turned out, Lloyd wasnβt entirely kidding. During an interview Wednesday, Henderson cracked a smile when asked if Lloyd brought up that subject of rebounding.
βYeah, he did,β Henderson said. βHe was like, youβre great crashing offensively. Now letβs see if you can get some defensive rebounds. Itβs all all jokes but itβs also serious at the same time.β
On their radar
Maybe because USC lost to Florida Gulf Coast in its season opener, the Trojans havenβt generated a lot of attention so far this season.
But now at 5-2 in Pac-12 play, including a two-point loss at UCLA, the Trojans have caught plenty of attention from the Wildcats, thanks in part to leading scorers Boogie Ellis (15.7 average points per game) and Drew Peterson (13.6), and rim protector Joshua Morgan (2.7 average blocks per game)
βIt seems like (being under the radar is) the case a little bit here and there, but theyβre a good team,β Lloyd said. Theyβve got two really good perimeter players.
β(The 6-9) Drew Peterson is really unique college player and Boogie is a bucket-getter. Morganβs really coming on inside for them. And those other guys might be role players but theyβre talented. Theyβve got length and athleticism and talent and theyβre aggressive. Theyβre a handful.β
