Signing Karwowski gives USU insurance against Queta departure

Author’s note: This article twice states that Ben Fakira is returning to play for Utah State on the active roster. Since publication, The Statesman has confirmed that Fakira is no longer on next year’s roster.

Utah State basketball’s latest signing of 7-foot-2 Polish center, Jakub Karwowski, should ease many a concern regarding the fate of the Aggies should Neemias Queta retain his candidacy for in the 2019 NBA Draft.

While USU fans still hold out hope that Queta spurns the draft in favor of playing out his sophomore campaign at Utah State, head coach Craig Smith and his staff are clearly not taking chances as this signing proves. Especially since they have two 6-foot-10 bigs in Klay Stall and Ben Fakira already on the roster. Watching Queta walk away to commence his professional career without solidifying a replacement for his considerable production could undo a lot of the good Smith and the Aggies accomplished with their Mountain West-conquering campaign in 2018-19.

Setting aside the fact that Queta was second on the team in scoring, the draft hopeful was far and away the best defensive player in the conference last year. His defensive dominance made Utah State who they were on that end of the floor. Not replacing Queta was not an option.

Enter “Kuba.”

The first thing that stands out about Karwowski is his sheer size. At 7-foot-2, he’ll easily be the tallest Aggie in at least 20 years, possibly longer (height listings prior to 2000 are spotty so it’s hard to know). He’s a little lean at 230 lbs, but neither is he a complete bean pole. Smith told The Statesman that “Kuba’s best days are definitely in front of him.”

“He’s very, very long, he’s very mobile, moves well, has good hands,” Smith told The Statesman. “Certainly with his size and instincts he’ll bring rim protection to us on the defensive end. But then he’s also obviously able to finish plays. He dunks everything around the basket.”

Smith added that Karwowski “absolutely loves basketball” and has a good understanding for the game along with an ability to communicate well on the court. Some of that likely comes from the fact that Karwowski is from a basketball family. His father, Leszek, played 14 seasons in Europe.

During the last two seasons, the younger Karwowski played for North Platte Community College. In 2018-19, he played 23.4 minutes per game and nearly averaged a double-double with 9.7 points and 8.9 rebounds along with an impressive 2.4 blocks. He earned all-Region IX honors for his season as a sophomore, aiding North Platte to a 24-5 overall record and a Region IX South Division title.

For Karwowski’s part, he seemed to be a little surprised to be ending up at a Division I basketball program of USU’s caliber.

“I didn’t expect I (would be) going to go to a school like that (Utah State), for sure,” said Karwowski according to the North Platte Telegraph. “When coaches said they were interested in me, I think it was because of my time here. I became more accountable and more confident playing basketball and with some other things outside of the gym.”

Improvements are no doubt a necessity for the Polish big, in particular his weight and strength in order to stand up to Division I centers. Karwowski will have two years at Utah State to make those improvements, however, and Smith is “confident” that he’ll put in the work.

“We’re very confident in Kuba and what he brings to the table and I know that he’ll be locked in to getting better and helping our team get better,” Smith said. “He’s just got to continually keep getting better and put the reps in.”

Inevitably, Karwowski’s time with Utah State will be cast on the backdrop of what Queta did last year (and may still accomplish should Queta stick around). Smith said the comparison is “natural” but isn’t too concerned by the idea.

“I think no matter who is playing that position, he’s always going to be compared to (Queta),” Smith said, adding that “(Karwowski) seems to be a guy that isn’t worried about the peripheral stuff that he can’t control. All he can control is his attitude and effort and going out there and being the best player he can be.”

Bringing in Karwowski could signal just how prepared the coaching staff believes their returning centers, Fakira and Stall, are for the upcoming season. Stall did not appear for the Aggies in 2018-19 after undergoing knee surgery last summer. Fakira did not crack Smith’s main rotation during the year, only playing in 15 games and averaging 5.4 minutes in those outings.

There’s no guarantee that Karwowski will beat out Fakira and Stall for the “replacement Queta” role this upcoming season. But given Smith’s comments on the 7-footer and the young man’s body of work at North Platte, he could be the favorite to help Utah State seek a Mountain West Championship repeat.