Gateway grad Kromka racking up awards for Pitt-Johnstown basketball

John Paul Kromka made a splash last year as a freshman with the Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball team.

The Gateway graduate led the team in rebounds per game (7.7) and total blocks (76) and finished second in scoring (14.9 ppg.), total assists (80) and free-throw percentage (80.3 percent).

His play helped the Mountain Cats win 17 games and make the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament. Individually, he was named PSAC West freshman of the year and defensive player of the year and earned second-team all-division honors.

While Kromka was happy with his first collegiate season, he wanted more from himself so he could give more to his team.

In the end, he was able to deliver on his goals and expectations as a sophomore this season, which helped Pitt-Johnstown win 22 games and qualify for the PSAC quarterfinals before falling to No. 2 Mercyhurst.

Kromka was named second-team All-Atlantic Region twice this month, first by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association on March 13 and then by the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Monday.

“It certainly is a great thing, getting this kind of recognition,” Kromka said. “But I definitely couldn’t have done it without the teammates I had this year. It was definitely a fantastic group of guys. We all grew together from last year’s team with the help of a coaching staff which is always phenomenal. Being in great company with the other nine guys on this team is amazing and such an honor.”

The Atlantic Region consists of schools from the PSAC, as well as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Mountain East Conference and West Virginia independents Bluefield State and Salem.

“To be selected as one of 10 guys from all those great players, it’s quite an honor, especially for a sophomore,” Pitt-Johnstown coach Bob Rukavina said. “We’re really proud of him.”

Kromka was named first-team All-PSAC West and again was voted the PSAC West defensive player of the year.

He finished his sophomore campaign as the Mountain Cats’ leading scorer (15.2 ppg.) and rebounder (8.3). He also fronted the squad in field-goal percentage (61.4), free throws made and attempted (104-139) and blocked shots (78).

Kromka’s 78 blocks ranked him fifth nationally in Division II, and he was eighth in blocks per game (2.5).

“Last year, was a great learning experience for me at the collegiate level,” Kromka said. “This year, having more responsibilities on the team helped me be more assertive, both on the court and off the court talking to my teammates. I also appreciated the trust my teammates had in me to facilitate the offense in the post, get an important two points or get a rebound on either end of the court.”

Kromka scored 20 or more points in a game seven times. He tallied season bests of 26 and 28 in back-to-back wins over Ohio Dominican and East Stroudsburg in late November. He delivered a season-high 13 rebounds against Mansfield on Jan. 29.

“In the last couple weeks of the season, he really took over some games for us at both ends of the court,” Rukavina said.

In two seasons at Pitt-Johnstown, Kromka has scored 918 points and swiped 489 rebounds.

Rukavina said strength played a big part in Kromka’s development from his freshman to sophomore seasons.

“Last year, he would get fouled and a lot of times, he wouldn’t finish the basket and get an additional foul shot,” Rukavina said. “This year, he would get fouled, and often it came with a plus-one. He would power his way through the foul and complete the play. You could easily see that difference.”

Kromka not only is getting the job done on the court but in the classroom as well. He garnered 2019-20 CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-American recognition.

The engineering major owns a 3.92 grade-point average. He is one of just two underclassmen out of the 15 on the three teams to receive the academic laurels.