Advertisement

Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski has season-ending back surgery

One of the big questions for Gonzaga coach Mark Few entering this season was how often he would be able to get his best three players on the court together at the same time with all three being at or near 7-feet tall.

Few no longer has to worry about that dilemma with senior center Przemek Karnowski deciding Thursday to undergo season-ending back surgery to repair a bulging disc.

Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski reacts during the second half of a college basketball regional semifinal game in the NCAA Tournament against UCLA, Friday, March 27, 2015, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski reacts during the second half of a college basketball regional semifinal game in the NCAA Tournament against UCLA, Friday, March 27, 2015, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

[Villanova sends message it's still the Big East's team to beat]

Karnowski first suffered the injury four weeks ago when he fell during practice. The three-year starter has played in only five games this season.

Karnowski is expected to be fully recovered from the surgery in 6-9 months and how well that recovery goes could be a factor in whether he decides to turn pro or apply for a medical redshirt season and return to Gonzaga for one more season. Prior to the news about his injury and subsequent surgery, Karnowski was projected as a second-round NBA draft pick next summer.

With Karnowski out of the lineup, the pressure has been on fellow senior Kyle Wiltjer and sophomore Domantas Sabonis to raise their level of play even higher. They are combining to score nearly 40 points a game, but they’re also the only players in the Gonzaga lineup averaging double figures in scoring.

[Pitt pounds the boards as Jamel Artis wrecks Orange defense in win]

Losing Karnowski for the rest of the season changes nothing for Few in terms of what he has been dealing with lately. He still must find a third scoring option who can consistently produce offense to complement Wiltjer and Sabonis.

Senior Eric McClellan has proven capable of doing so at times this season. Freshman guard Josh Perkins has, too, but neither has done so consistently enough for Few and Gonzaga fans to feel optimistic about a deep run in March. The team, which once a preseason top-10 ranking, just doesn't appear to have the firepower at the moment to make a big postseason push when the competition is tougher.

The good news for Few is that he still have the entire West Coast Conference season to get things figured out and hope other players mature into larger roles.

- - - - - - -

[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!