For many, basketball tends to be one of the numerous sports they dabble in during their childhood. They’ll play for a couple years in elementary and middle school, collect the little plastic trophies during league competitions, and then stop. But for former UChicago men’s basketball player Thomas Kurowski (A.B. ’25), his basketball journey continued far beyond that; now, he’s playing professionally for the Norwood Flames in Australia.
Kurowski started playing basketball around third grade because his family—especially his father, who Kurowski considers his role model—was deeply involved in the sport. Over the years, his love and dedication for the sport grew, and by high school, Kurowski became serious about playing college basketball.
After a few coaches from UChicago reached out to him, Kurowski became drawn to the school’s balance of athletics and academics. “It was the best of both worlds,” Kurowski explained. “I got to play basketball, which is what I wanted, and [UChicago] was very diverse, very renowned worldwide, and had great classes, professors, student body, everything.”
Reflecting on his four years at UChicago, Kurowski recalled some of his favorite aspects of being a Maroon. He valued the team and alumni culture at UChicago that enabled him to build many lifelong connections. Beyond these, the supportive culture at UChicago also instilled lifelong values in Kurowski, as the basketball team’s coaches and staff held the players to high standards in carrying themselves professionally and staying grounded. Kurowski recalled learning to remain humble and grateful for the opportunities he had, an idea that stays with him to this day.
As he neared the end of his stint with UChicago, Kurowski was torn about whether he should continue his basketball career. Seeing many of his teammates land full-time jobs in investment banking or consulting, Kurowski knew a traditional career was a viable option for the future. Still, he wasn’t quite ready to let go of his passion for basketball. Given the time he had put in and his love for the game, Kurowski remembered thinking to himself, “When college ends, I don’t want basketball to stop.”
After graduating from UChicago in 2025, Kurowski had been looking for places to continue his basketball career. He enjoyed traveling the world and hoped to continue playing overseas, particularly in Europe. Unfortunately, by the time Kurowski graduated, the recruiting period for European basketball leagues had ended, so he stayed in Chicago and worked part-time while continuing to train on the side. One of the people he worked out with was Arne Duncan, the former Secretary of Education under the Obama administration. Duncan used to play for the Harvard basketball team and spent time playing professionally in Australia. During their time training together, Duncan became a valuable mentor for Kurowski and used some of his connections from playing in Australia to help Kurowski get his foot in the door.
Now in Australia, Kurowski has enjoyed adjusting to this new lifestyle both on and off the court. No longer subject to UChicago’s strict class schedules, p-sets, and early morning Ratner workouts and practices, Kurowski noted that he must hold himself to a higher standard of working out, eating healthily, and being independent. He also found that games in Australia tend to be much more physical and fast-paced than those in the US, which can be especially challenging when coupled with the transition from playing college students to competing with professional athletes.
While Kurowski’s basketball journey has certainly been filled with ups and downs, he is committed to playing for as long as he can and is excited to see where his basketball career will take him. To others interested in turning their passion into a profession, Kurowski said, “If you want to do it, be serious about it and pursue it as much as you can. Don’t live with any regret that you might have if you didn’t try.”
