VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - It must have felt like the end of the world for Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski on Monday in Phoenix. It would have for any player that had just lost his last college game, an NCAA Tournament Final to boot.

Karnowski, who had battled back from a staph infection that forced him off the court in December, 2015, and ruined that campaign, battled back to have a terrific senior season in Spokane, leading the Zags to 37 wins and their first appearance in the NCAA title game.

The storybook finish was on! He hit 27 of his 39 shots from the floor in the NCAA Tournament and needed just one victory against Carolina in the title game to cap a magical season at Gonzaga.

Karnowski, though, made just 1 of his 8 shots from the floor against the Tar Heels. His misses, which came throughout the contest, weren't the sole cause for Zags' 71-65 defeat. But they were a contributing factor.

"It wasn't my best game," he said. "We threw the ball into the post and I didn't deliver."

The truth is, however, that Karnowski has delivered throughout his career. We first saw him in international basketball in 2008 when he played at the U16 European Championship Chieti, Italy.

We saw him develop quickly. At the FIBA U17 World Championship in 2010, he led Poland into a Final against the United States. That same year, he excelled at the U18 European Championship.

Karnowski shone for Poland's youth teams, including in 2010 at the U18 European Championship in Lithuania

Karnowski has been trending up since those youthful days. He's become an NBA prospect.

We remember him from the FIBA EuroBasket 2015 where he showed that his time at Gonzaga was making him stronger. Karnowski had his way against Russia, and against Finland. Neither team could stop him.

The 2.11m Karnowski had his way against Russia in Montpellier, helping the Poles to an 82-79 win.

Against Finland, Karnowski had 10 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. He was a factor for Poland's national team and still, only a rising junior in college.

Karnowski didn't deliver in the Final, but he did the rest of his career. His teammates were going to make that very clear after the loss to the Heels.

Gonzaga's freshman center, Zach Collins, told the Spokesman Review: "He's taught me so much. Even if I was tired and didn't feel like doing something, he was always the one to say to be 'Come on, man, you got to go.'"

"Przemek's one of the greatest Zags of all time," Gonzaga guard Josh Perkins said.

Karnowski himself was already showing signs after the defeat to Carolina that he was going to have a quick recovery.

"It's been an awesome year, and this group of guys brought me so much joy this year basketball-wise and life-wise," he said.

His overall growth in the game has been exponential, similar to his beard.

He'll be an NBA center or a top-flight pivot in Europe. He'll be Poland's main man, starting this summer at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. All is not lost.

Forget the performance in the Final. Karnowski's  been terrific. Now it's on to the next chapter.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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