Gonzaga blew out Xavier on Saturday, and so the Bulldogs are finally — finally — moving on to the Final Four for the first time in school history. As you can imagine, head coach Mark Few was overjoyed.
After Few cut down the net, he happily jumped into the arms of 7-foot-1, 300-pound senior Przemek Karnowski in the most heartwarming moment.
This isn’t just a heartwarming moment because a massive center is embracing his coach after a historic victory. It’s more than that.
In 2015, the center, Karnowski, wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to play basketball again. He had back surgery and then suffered an infection, and at that point, per a story by the Associated Press, “living a normal life again was the goal.”
But Karnowski made a full inspiring recovery. Few said of the big man’s comeback to the AP:
“What he went through was just heartbreaking,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “For him to go from where he was at his darkest time to where he is now is pretty heartwarming and you couldn’t be happier from the kid.”
After all of that, now Few is jumping into Karnowski’s arms, and Gonzaga is moving on to the Final Four. This is what March Madness is all about.
