Podziemski Power

A 2021 graduate of St. John’s Northwestern Academies, Brandin Podziemski proved the doubters wrong his whole career, and has risen all the way from SJNA to now stand on the precipice of hearing his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft.

With many analysts now tabbing Podziemski to be selected in the first round, it’s hard to imagine just two short years ago he was struggling to get on the court at the University of Illinois.

After his graduation from SJNA, Podziemski made the decision to continue his career with the Fighting Illini. A rarely utilized bench player during the 2021-22 year, Brandin transferred to Santa Clara University ahead of the 2022-23 season in a move which propelled him to stardom.

In just one season with the Broncos under head coach Herb Sendek, Podziemski erupted for 19.9 points per game while shooting an efficient 48.3 percent from the field and a staggering 43.8 from beyond the arc, good enough for fifth-best in all of Division I. Brandin added in 8.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and the former Lancer was named the West Coast Conference (WCC) Co-Player of the Year alongside Gonzaga’s Drew Timme. Podziemski also collected WCC First-Team All-Conference and Lou Henson All-American honors.

Despite the slew of awards, Podziemski was still being overlooked and needed to put on a show at the combine to improve his draft projections. From May 16-18, he did exactly that, opening eyes in the drills and testing stages, before he nearly posted a triple-double in the combine scrimmage recording ten points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Thanks to his strong performance, Podziemski is considered one of the top shooting prospects in the draft, and the top rebounding guard. Many experts now expect Brandin to end up as a first-round pick come June 22.

During his time at St. John’s Northwestern, Podziemski dominated the field in three seasons racking up 2,154 career points. Brandin was a three-time All-State honoree, and in 2021 he was named both the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s Mr. Basketball and the Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year. In his terrific senior season, he averaged 35.1 points per game, and totaled 974 points, the seventh-highest single-season total in state history. On January 30, 2021, Brandin set the SJNA single-game record pouring in 50 points versus Pewaukee.