Former Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski signs with Polish team

Former Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski is going home to continue his professional basketball career.

Karnowski, who is from Torun, Poland, is returning to his hometown after signing a one-year contract with Polski Cukier Torun, the team announced Thursday.

Karnowski battled injuries last season while splitting time between MoraBanc Andorra and Montakit Fuenlabrada in the Spanish League. He played in 13 games, averaging 15.8 minutes, with Andorra. He made 59.5 percent of his shots while averaging 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Karnowski averaged just 8.1 minutes in 10 appearances with Fuenlabrada. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds. Karnowski also played for Poland in World Cup qualifying last November and February, averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in four games.

“Playing in Torun will be a great thing for me,” Karnowski said in a team release, adding that he has recovered from a procedure on his Achilles tendon. “I know most of the players on the team, as well as people associated with the club.”

Karnowski earned the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as college basketball’s top center as a senior. The 7-foot-1 Karnowski finished as the all-time leader in NCAA Division I wins with 137.

The three-year starter averaged 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and made 59.5 percent of his shots in 152 career games. He returned from back surgery to average 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and nearly 2 assists as a senior, helping Gonzaga (37-2) reach the NCAA championship game.

Former Zag Sam Dower recently signed with MKS Dabrowa Gornicza, which is in the same league as Polski Cukier Torun.