2018-2019 Men's Basketball Roster

James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
James Karnik
Photo by: Josh Liddick
James Karnik
Jordan Cohen James Karnik
James Karnik
Photo by: JD Cavrich
James Karnik
James Karnik Dunk
James Karnik
Photo by: Mark Mohrman
James Karnik Jeameril Wilson
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
James Karnik
James Karnik
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
James Karnik Dunk
James Karnik Dunk
Caleb Bennett James Karnik
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
James Karnik
James Karnik
Photo by: Scott Weaver/K-State Athletics
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik Dunk
James Karnik
Photo by: Keith Lucas
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik
James Karnik Headshot
Jersey Number 13

James Karnik

  • Position:
    C
  • Height:
    6-9
  • Weight:
    225
  • Class:
    Sophomore
  • Hometown:
    Surrey, B.C.
  • High School:
    Orangeville Prep
  • Major:
    Design
WHY LEHIGH? "Great academics and being put in a position where I can play a lot of minutes right away."
 
AS A JUNIOR (2019-20): Continued impressive improvement, finishing second on the Mountain Hawks in scoring average (12.2) and first in rebounding (7.2) … Those numbers would have been tied for 14th and sixth in the Patriot League respectively, if he had enough games to quality … Played in 22 games, starting 18; missed 10 games in league play due to injury … Shot 57.2 percent from the field (119-of-208) while adding 21 assists, team-leading 21 blocks and 22 steals … Despite the games missed, still had the 10th most blocks in the league … Reached double-figure points in 15 games and double-figure rebounds seven times, adding six double-doubles … Was second on the Mountain Hawks in charges taken (7) ... Had six points and five rebounds in the Patriot League Quarterfinals at Colgate (3/5) … Fifth straight game with double-figure points, scoring 11 and adding six rebounds and an assist in Patriot League Tournament First Round win over Loyola (3/3) … Had second straight double-double, recording a season-high 20 points along with 12 rebounds at Loyola (2/29). Added three blocks. Was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line … Posted fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in overtime win over Boston University (2/26). Marked first double-double just Dec. 4 at Saint Francis (Pa.) … Impressive effort in win over Bucknell (2/23), scoring 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting while adding six rebounds, an assist, block and three steals (which tied a career high) … Big game at Colgate (2/19), scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Also grabbed six rebounds and tied a career-high three assists … Finished with five points, five rebounds, an assist and steal at Army West Point (2/15) … Returned after missing 10 games due to injury, scoring nine points vs. Holy Cross (2/12) on 3-of-4 shooting and 3-of-3 from the free throw line … Tied a season-high 18 points while adding seven rebounds, an assist and steal vs. Loyola (1/5) … Filled up the stat sheet with six points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the Patriot League opener at Navy (1/2) … Posted 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks at Princeton (12/29) … Impressive at undefeated and No. 9/12 Auburn (12/21), scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Also added five rebounds … Scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting while adding five rebounds and two steals vs. Yale (12/7) … Monster effort at Saint Francis (Pa.) (12/4), scoring 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting while adding 13 rebounds to tie a career high. Marked fourth double-double of season (in nine games) after six his first two years combined … Finished with eight points and 12 rebounds (to tie a season high) at Columbia (11/30) … Posted second double-double in three games, third of the season and ninth of his career with 12 points and 10 boards at preseason top 25 team Saint Mary’s (11/23) … Team-high 14 points and seven rebounds at Drake (11/21) … Filled up the stat sheet with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season (and eighth of his career) vs. Misericordia (11/18). Also tied a career-high three steals … Recorded four points, two rebounds and a steal at Virginia Tech (11/16) … Posted eight points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and steal in 16 minutes against Cairn (11/12) … Strong effort in win at Albany (11/9), scoring 14 points on 7-of-11 from the field. Added five rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks. Marked second straight game with a block after never tallying more than two in a game entering the season. Knocked down a big free throw with eight seconds remaining to give the Mountain Hawks a two possession advantage … Impressed in season opener, posting seventh-career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Monmouth (11/5). Shot 6-of-10 from the field and tallied three blocks.
 
AS A SOPHOMORE (2018-19): Impressive sophomore campaign … Averaged 9.3 points per game (fifth on the Mountain Hawks) and 6.1 rebounds (second) … Did even better in Patriot League play, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 boards … Also had a team-high 16 blocks, while adding 12 assists and six steals … Reached double-figure points in 15 games … Recorded two double-doubles … Won the Coaches Award, as announced at annual end-of-season banquet ... Tied for eighth in the league in rebounding and was fourth in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (59.2, 113-of-191) ... Knocked down 66.3 percent of his free throws (61-of-92) ... Had four points and three rebounds in the Patriot League Semifinals at Bucknell (3/10) … Just missed a double-double in the Patriot League Quarterfinals vs. Army West Point (3/7), posting 15 points, nine rebounds and a steal … Had four points and three rebounds in the regular season finale at Loyola (3/2) … Stellar at American (2/27), scoring 17 points (12 in the second half) in just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. Shot 6-of-7 from the field while adding eight rebounds and two blocks … Finished with eight points, five rebounds and a block vs. Holy Cross (2/24) … Recorded 11 points, six rebounds and an assist against Army West Point (2/20) … Posted 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while adding four rebounds at Boston University (2/16) … Huge game at Bucknell (2/11), just missing double-double with a career-high tying 21 points along with nine rebounds. Shot 9-of-15 from the field … Had two points and a game-high nine rebounds in win over Navy (2/9) … Recorded five points, four rebounds and a steal against Colgate (2/4) … Strong in comeback win at Army West Point (2/2), scoring 10 points including baskets that evened the score and later gave Lehigh a lead in the final minutes. Shot 5-of-8 from the field while adding five rebounds, two blocks and a steal … Sixth straight game with double-figure points, scoring 15 at Lafayette (1/30) on 6-of-8 shooting … Impressive vs. Boston University (1/26), scoring a career-high 21 points behind 9-of-10 shooting, while adding eight rebounds … Fourth straight game with double-figure points, scoring 14 (12 in the second half) at Navy (1/23). Shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line … Another strong effort, recording 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding nine rebounds, an assist and steal against Bucknell (1/19) … Posted second double-double in as many home games, recording 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. American (1/16) … Strong effort with 10 points and eight rebounds (four on the offensive glass) at Colgate (1/12). Finished 5-of-6 from the field … Tallied four points, three rebounds, an assist and block in big overtime win at Holy Cross (1/9) … Career game, recording career highs in points (18) and rebounds (13) vs. Loyola (1/6). Shot 9-of-10 from the field and recorded first steal of the season … Had four points, four rebounds and a block against Lafayette (1/2) … Finished with four points and four rebounds at West Virginia (12/30) … Recorded six points and six rebounds vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) (12/22) … Tied a season-high 15 points while adding nine rebounds at Mount St. Mary’s (12/8). Was 5-of-7 from the field … Had four points, two rebounds, an assist and block at Yale (12/5) … Posted six points on 3-of-5 shooting, along with four rebounds and a block vs. Arkansas State (12/1) … Impressed at No. 12 Kansas State, scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting while adding eight rebounds and two assists … Key contributor in road win at Siena (11/21), posting six points, eight rebounds and an assist … Had seven rebounds and career-high tying three assists against Marist (11/13) … Finished with two points and four rebounds at Miami (11/9) … Recorded four points and six rebounds in season opener at Monmouth (11/6).
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AS A FRESHMAN (2017-18): Strong freshman season, averaging 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game … Rebound average was tied for fifth in the Patriot League … Shot 46.4 percent from the field (85-of-183) … Tallied a team-high four double-doubles … Played in all 30 games, starting 29 … Had 13 points and nine rebounds in the Patriot League Quarterfinals against Boston University (3/1) … Recorded eight points and nine rebounds in regular season finale vs. Lafayette (2/24) … Strong effort at Loyola (2/21), tallying seven points and nine rebounds … Tallied four points, six rebounds and two assists vs. Army West Point (2/17) … One point and five rebounds in win at Colgate (2/14) … Finished with two points (a big late-game putback), six rebounds, two steals and a block at American (2/10) … Posted fourth-career double-double in strong effort vs. Bucknell (2/5). Tallied 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high three assists while playing strong defense against reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Nana Foulland, holding him to 14 points on just 4-of-10 shooting, only seven of those points coming in Karnik's 35 minutes on the floor … Had six points, five rebounds and a block in big win over Boston University (2/3) … Recorded six points, four rebounds and a block at Holy Cross (1/29), including a tough defensive rebound with 20 seconds remaining to help seal the victory … Posted two points and four rebounds against Navy (1/27) … Finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting along with four rebounds, an assist and steal vs. Loyola (1/24) … Recorded two points and three rebounds at Army West Point (1/20) … Posted four points and six rebounds against Colgate (1/17) … Career day, scoring a career-high 16 points while tying a career-high 12 rebounds in home win over American (1/14). Marked third-career double-double … Had six points, six rebounds, an assist and block at Bucknell (1/11) … Tallied nine points, five rebounds, an assist and block at Boston University (1/8) … Recorded two points and six rebounds at Navy (1/2) … Tied a career-high 15 points while adding six rebounds in Patriot League opening win at Lafayette (12/29) … Impressed at Saint Francis (Pa.) (12/21), recording second-career double-double with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with 11 rebounds … Just missed second-career double-double, posting nine points and nine rebounds vs. Mount St. Mary’s (12/9) … Posted 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high three steals against Yale (12/6) … Tallied five points and four rebounds at No. 15/18 Virginia (12/2) … Had career highs in rebounds (12) and assists (2) while adding seven points in big win at Princeton (11/29) … Strong effort at Pitt (11/25), posting 14 points and 10 rebounds for first-career double-double. Was 7-of-9 from the field while adding a block and steal … Impressive effort at No. 10 USC (11/22), especially in the second half. Finished with seven points and nine rebounds, all but two rebounds coming in the second half … Scored a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting while adding six rebounds and a steal vs. Eastern (11/19) … Had two points, three rebounds and two steals against Siena (11/17) … Finished with six points and four rebounds in home opener vs. Monmouth (11/14). Added first-career assist … Recorded three points, four rebounds, a steal and block in collegiate debut at Marist (11/11).

BEFORE LEHIGH: Moved to Toronto to attend Orangeville Prep, which is affiliated with the Athlete Institute, a training center for elite, national-level basketball players in Canada … During the 2016-17 season, Orangeville won the OSBA championship as the No. 1 seed, posting a 21-2 record and sending multiple players to Division I programs … Served as starting center and averaged a double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds per game) … Has been mentioned among the top centers in Canada … Orangeville is among the top teams in all of Canadian scholastic basketball … In junior year of high school, averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds … Was also named to the Canadian U17 National All-Star Team that competed in Europe … Was a three-time MVP and garnered the Mata Waston Leadership Award.
 
CAREER STATISTICS
 
Season GP-GS MIN-AVG FG-FGA FG% 3FG-3FGA 3FG% FT-FTA FT% REB AVG ASST TO BLK STL PTS PPG
2017-18 30-29 695-23.2 85-183 .464 0-0 -- 43-68 .632 196 6.5 15 42 9 14 213 7.1
2018-19 31-31 696-22.5 113-191 .592 0-0 -- 61-92 .663 188 6.1 12 46 16 6 287 9.3
2019-20 22-18 636-28.9 119-208 .572 0-9 .000 30-52 .572 159 7.2 21 45 21 22 268 12.2
Totals 83-78 2027-24.4 317-582 .545 0-9 .000 134-212 .632 543 6.5 48 133 46 42 768 9.3
 
CAREER HIGHS
Points: 21, two times; last at Bucknell (2/11/19)
Rebounds: 13, two times; last at St. Francis (12/4/19)
Assists: 3, three times; last at Colgate (2/19/20)
Steals: 3, three times; last vs. Bucknell (2/23/20)

GETTING TO KNOW JAMES
What's your favorite thing about Lehigh? All the trees and old infrastructure
Favorite Place on Campus: Linderman Library
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Color: Red or Green
Favorite Musical Artist: Drake
Favorite Movie: Focus or Iron Man
Favorite Website: YouTube
Favorite Pro Team: Clippers
Favorite Athlete in Another Sport: Conor McGregor
Place I’d Like To Visit: Iceland
Dream Job: Professional basketball player
If I Didn't Play Basketball, I Would: Swim
If I Had $1 Billion, I Would: Buy a private jet and travel the world
Lehigh Sports Central: Volleyball
Wednesday, September 10
2025 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Wednesday, September 10
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Soccer
Thursday, September 04
2025 Lehigh Volleyball Season Preview
Friday, August 29