Frank Kaminsky
Francis Stanley Kaminsky III is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers, where he set the Wisconsin single-game record for points. He was the unanimous men's National College Player of the Year in 2015.
Early life and high school career
Kaminsky's father, Frank Jr., played basketball at Lewis University. His mother, Mary, played volleyball at Northwestern. Kaminsky, who is of Polish and Serbian ancestry, grew up in Woodridge, Illinois in a Serbian community. In 1998, when he was 5 years old, his aunt Karen Stack Umlauf and uncle Jim Stack worked for the Chicago Bulls, and he had access to the practice facility when Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman and Randy Brown were on the team. Until high school, Kaminsky participated in basketball tournaments organized by Serb National Federation as member of the Serbian Eagles A.C.Kaminsky attended Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois. He was named first-team all-state by the Chicago Sun-Times and IBCA and second-team all-state by the AP after averaging 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 2.8 assists during his senior season. He led the Redwings to a 29-1 season after being defeated in the Sectional Semifinals by the East Aurora Tomcats that were led by Connecticut Huskies superstar and National Champion Ryan Boatright. He was also named all-area, all-conference and East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year. Kaminsky's jersey number, 44, was retired in a ceremony at Benet Academy on November 18, 2017.
College career
Freshman season
Kaminsky played in 35 of 36 games as a freshman. He scored a season-high nine points against UMKC on November 22, 2011.Sophomore season
Kaminsky played in 32 games, starting the first two games of the season. He finished the season averaging 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He led the team in free-throw percentage at 76.7%. He posted a season-high 19 points at Illinois on February 3, 2013.Junior season
On November 19, 2013, Kaminsky broke the Wisconsin single-game scoring record with 43 points against North Dakota. Kaminsky shot 16 of 19 from the field, including six of six from 3-point range and five of six from the free throw line. The previous Wisconsin single-game record was 42 points, set by Ken Barnes and Michael Finley.At the conclusion of the regular season, Kaminsky was named to the First Team All-Big Ten.
On March 29, 2014, Kaminsky scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds as Wisconsin defeated #1 seeded Arizona 64–63 in overtime during the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four. After the game, Kaminsky was named West Regional Most Outstanding Player.
Senior season
Ahead of the 2014 season, Kaminsky was named the Big Ten preseason player of the year. The Badgers were unanimously picked to win the Big Ten Championship.The Badgers and Kaminsky validated those predictions. The Badgers had a 36-3 record in games Kaminsky played. They won the Big Ten regular season title with a 16-2 record and the Big Ten tournament title. After becoming the first NCAA tournament 1-seed in school history, they made their way to their second consecutive Final Four. There, they avenged their previous season's loss to Kentucky, upsetting the 38-0 Wildcats 71-64 behind Kaminsky's 20 points and 11 rebounds. In the Badgers' first national championship game in 74 years, they lost a 9-point second-half lead and were defeated 68-63 by the Duke Blue Devils. Kaminsky finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. For the season, he finished with 18.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG, despite playing for a team that ranked 346th out of 351 in adjusted tempo. He led the nation in PER, an efficiency-based stat. Wisconsin boasted the highest adjusted offensive efficiency in KenPom history.
Kaminsky was named consensus first-team All-American. On March 31, 2015, he was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year. On April 3 he was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, the first Wisconsin player to receive the award since its creation in 1961. He also received the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the United States Basketball Writers Association College Player of the Year. On April 5, he was named the Naismith College Player of the Year. On April 10, he won both the John R. Wooden Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. On June 12 Kaminsky was named University of Wisconsin's Male Athlete of the Year.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets (2015–2019)
On June 25, 2015, Kaminsky was selected with the ninth overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2015 NBA draft. On December 2, he scored 16 points in a 116–99 loss to the Golden State Warriors, earning increased minutes with starting center Al Jefferson out injured. On December 23, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 102–89 loss to the Boston Celtics. On December 30, he had his second 20-point outing of the season in a 122–117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On April 10, 2016, he recorded 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a 113–98 loss to the Washington Wizards. In Game 3 of the Hornets' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Kaminsky scored 15 points in a 96–80 win.On November 21, 2016, Kaminsky tied a career high with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a 105–90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. On February 1, 2017, he set a new career high with 24 points off the bench in a 126–111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He topped that mark on February 15, scoring 27 points in a 90–85 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On February 25, he recorded 23 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 99–85 win over the Sacramento Kings. On April 8, he recorded a career-high 7 assists in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
On November 20, 2017, Kaminsky scored a season-high 24 points in a 118–102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 18, he scored 24 points in a 109–91 win over the New York Knicks. On April 10, 2018, he scored 24 points in a 119–93 win over the Indiana Pacers.
On November 21, 2018, after scoring just nine points over the Hornets' first 16 games of the 2018–19 season, Kaminsky had 11 points off the bench in a 127–109 win over the Pacers. He lost his spot in the rotation in 2018–19 under new coach James Borrego, appearing in just 26 games at the conclusion of February. On March 1, 2019, he was inserted into the rotation to combat zone defense with his passing ability, going on to score 15 points in a 123–112 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On April 5, he recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 113–111 win over the Raptors. Two days later, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 104–91 win over the Detroit Pistons.