T. J. Warren
| No. 12 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 5, 1993 Durham, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire) |
| College | NC State (2012–2014) |
| NBA draft | 2014: 1st round, 14th overall pick |
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–present | Phoenix Suns |
| 2014 | →Bakersfield Jam (D-League) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Anthony "T. J." Warren, Jr. (born September 5, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Warren played small forward for the NC State Wolfpack. In the 2013–14 season, he led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring and averaged a total of 24.9 points per game. Warren was picked 14th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.[1]
High school career
Warren graduated from Brewster Academy, but Warren also attended Riverside High School and Word of God Christian Academy prior to Brewster. He averaged 14 points per game on Word of God's team and his team finished the season at 24-3.[2] While at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Warren was a small forward for his varsity basketball team. Ranked number 32 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100, Warren became a hot commodity for college recruits. During his senior year of high school, Warren was viewed by multiple colleges, including North Carolina State University, Georgetown, and University of North Carolina. After visiting some of his prospective schools, Warren officially committed to North Carolina State University on November 2, 2011. Warren was recruited by Orlando Early, the assistant coach at NCSU.[3] Warren was part of the second highest ranked college basketball draft class by CBSsports along with Tyler Lewis and Rodney Purvis. All three of the players were All-Americans and natives of North Carolina.[4] He became the 23rd ranked prospect on the ESPN recruiting board for the 2012 recruiting class before committing to play for North Carolina State University.[5]
College career
Freshman season
As part of the 2012–13 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, as a freshman Warren averaged 12.1 points a game and 4.2 rebounds in 27 minutes per game earning him the award of being named to the ACC All-Freshmen Team. He also led the ACC in shooting percentage that year at .622, or 62.2%.[5] Warren's best game that season came against Florida State on February 19, 2013, where he scored 31 points and had 13 rebounds.[5] He helped lead the Wolfpack back into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. As an 8 seed, they lost to Temple University in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The loss ended the team's season with a 24-11 record. [6]
Sophomore season
Warren decided to stay for his sophomore year despite being rated as one of the top 31 prospects in the NBA draft during his freshman year. His main influence was his father who convinced him that playing another year at NC State would benefit Warren more, by allowing him to further develop his basketball skills and also improve his draft spot for the NBA.[7] His father is Tony Warren Sr., who played for NC State from 1977 to 1979 under Norm Sloan. Warren was only averaging 27 minutes a game his freshman season but knew his minutes would increase during his sophomore year. This is due to NC State's basketball team losing all of their starters from the previous year when he was a freshman. Warren showed great potential as a player, but during his freshman year he did not have many opportunities on the court to show his talent due to his playing time.
Warren had career highs in points with 41 against Pittsburgh, followed by a 42 point performance versus Boston College. He led his team to the final 64 in NCAA tournament, with a 12 seed, after beating Xavier in the first four, but ended his sophomore season losing to St. Louis in the second round after scoring 28 points.[8] For the year, Warren averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while playing an average of 35.4 minutes per game.[9]
Warren led his school to a 22-14 record and went 9-9 in the ACC in his sophomore year. He ended up leading the team with 7.1 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals per game. He also is the first player to win ACC Player of the year from the school since Julius Hodge.[10]
In April 2014, Warren declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final two year of college eligibility.[11]
Awards and honors
In 2014, Warren was in the running for the 38th Annual Wooden Award which is awarded to the National Player of the Year for the collegiate basketball season. He was named to the Mid-Season Wooden Watch list where he was one of 25 players seriously considered for the award.[12]
At the end of the 2014 season, Warren was one of the top in the ACC in offensive rebounds and is among the league leaders in both overall rebounding and steals. At the conclusion of the regular season, Warren was named ACC Player of the Year.[13] Warren was also named second team All-American by the Associated Press and The Sporting News at the end of the season, as well as first team All-ACC.[14][15]
NBA career
On June 26, 2014, Warren was selected with the 14th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 NBA draft. On July 12, 2014, Warren made his NBA Summer League debut, recording 22 points and 4 rebounds in a 72-74 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[16][17] On August 8, 2014, he signed with the Suns.[18] On October 21, 2014, Warren sustained a small crack in a bone in his left thumb, sidelining him indefinitely.[19][20] He returned from injury on November 9 as he made his NBA debut against the Golden State Warriors. He recorded no points in just over a minute of action in the 107-95 win.[21]
On November 13, 2014, Warren was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.[22] On November 17, he was recalled by the Suns.[23] On that same day, Warren would score 7 points and grab 3 rebounds in a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics.
References
- ^ "2014 NBA Draft Tracker - Bleacher Report". BleacherReport.com. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ "T.J. Warren Commits to NC State". Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ "T.J. Warren Yahoo Sports". Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 9, 2011). "Arizona, N.C. State early leaders for 2012's top class". CBS Sports. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "T.J. Warren Bio - NC State University Official Athletic Site". Gopack.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ^ "State loses to Temple in First NCAA Tourney Game". WolfpackWorld.com. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ^ Giglio, Joe (2013-04-23). "Warren puts NBA on hold, will return for N.C. State". news & observer. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ Keith, Ted (20 March 2014). "St. Louis stages furious comeback to beat T.J. Warren and N.C. State in overtime". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ "T.J. Warren Stats- ESPN". Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Boyd, Jason (24 March 2014). "N.C. State's T.J. Warren to enter NBA draft". Sporting News. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (2014-03-24). "NC State's T.J. Warren heading to the NBA". cbssports.com.
- ^ "Scout.com: Warren Makes Midseason Wooden Watch List". Northcarolinastate.scout.com. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
- ^ "NC State's Warren Voted ACC Player Of The Year". theacc.com. March 11, 2014.
- ^ "T.J. Warren Named AP Second Team All-America". GoPack. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ "2013-2014 All ACC Team Announced". Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Suns at Warriors
- ^ Warren Shines as Suns Fall to Warriors
- ^ "Suns Sign First-Round Picks T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ Warren Suffers Broken Thumb, No Timetable for Return
- ^ Suns rookie T.J. Warren fractures left thumb, out indefinitely
- ^ Thomas leads Suns over Warriors 107-95
- ^ SUNS ASSIGN ENNIS, WARREN TO BAKERSFIELD
- ^ Suns Recall Ennis, Warren from Bakersfield