Westmont College Athletics

By Zach DeMarcus
March 28, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Junior Olisa Nwachie and senior Jerry Karczewski have been given NAIA All-America recognition. Nwachie has been named a third team NAIA All-American while Karczewski, for the second year in a row, was given NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors.
 
Nwachie started in 30 of Westmont's 32 contests. He averaged 14.1 points per game, pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game, and had 42 blocked shots on the season. Those numbers increased during Golden State Athletic Conference play. In conference, he scored 19.7 points per game, pulled down 7.8 rebounds a game, and shot 79 percent from the free throw line – leading the team in free throw attempts with 119.
 
Head coach John Moore said, "What took place with Olisa Nwachie this year was transformational. The success of our team this year was in direct correlation to Olisa's improvement as a player. He became a force. It is no surprise that he was named to the NAIA All-American team.
 
"In five categories in GSAC play, he was in the top five when compared to all other players in the GSAC (points per game, rebounds per game, steals, blocked shots, and offensive rebounds). He truly was our jack of all trades or as we like to call him, our 'Swiss army knife.'
 
"Here is an example of his improvement as the season became more important. He averaged 19.7 points in GSAC play, five points above his average in non-conference play. He averaged 7.8 rebounds per game in GSAC play, almost two more rebounds than he averaged in non-conference play. His free throw percentage increased, his free throw attempts increased, and his steals and his blocked shots increased in conference play. In essence, he was at his best when it counted the most - during GSAC play.
 
"Most of this is because of Olisa's growth as a leader, as a teammate, and as a man. To say that we are proud of the progress Olisa has made would be a severe understatement. The best part is that his ceiling is well above his play this year. He knows, and we know, the best is yet to come," added Moore.
 
Karczewski started all 32 games for the Warriors this season. He led the team in scoring with his 15.1 points per game, 3-point percentage at .441, and assists with 113. He passed Corey Blick to take over Westmont's all-time 3-pointers made record – he finished his career with 296 made 3-point field goals.
 
Moore said, "Jerry has had a fabulous Westmont career. To fly past Corey Blick's 3-pointers made in a career mark is remarkable. That was one Westmont record I thought was unsurpassable – which points directly to Jerry's consistency.
 
"To see Jerry simply as a 3-point shooter is inaccurate, as he has been able to get to the free throw line over 120 times each of the last two years, and led us in assists this year. Every single one of his four years, Jerry raised his scoring average and this year led the Warriors in scoring.
 
"What we will miss most about Jerry is his competitive fire, his love of the game, and his clutch play. Jerry made big shots over and over again and sealed many games with his clutch free throw shooting. He shot free throws at an 82 percent clip for his career and was a 44 percent 3-point shooter over his four years.
 
"Jerry Karczewski and (senior) Sean Harman will go down in the Westmont basketball history books as two of the finest backcourt mates in the history of our program," finished Moore.
 
The Warriors finished with a 24-8 record in the 2017-18 season and made their fourth straight trip to Kansas City for the NAIA Men's Basketball Division I National Championship – that is a program record.