1. I’ve been waiting for a hot minute for this Q&A with former NC State great T.J. Warren.
The perfect timing would have been when Warren returned from his foot injury that has wiped out this season thus far.
Warren still talked about his hometown of Durham, N.C., playing at NC State and past highlights in the NBA.The last time he’s played an NBA game is Dec. 29, 2020, which just seems crazy and sad all at once.
Warren played in 67 games in his first season with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 53.6 percent from the field and 40.3 percent on three-pointers. He exploded in bubble and had 53 points and went 9 of 12 from three-point land in a 127-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Aug. 1, 2020.
The former McDonald’s All-American played two years at NC State and was a second-team All-American after averaging 24.9 points per game in 2013-14. He turned professional and went No. 14 overall to the Phoenix Suns.
What are some of the ways you like to give back to the community?
“I like to give back to the community and I’m very family oriented. I always come back [to Triangle area] in the offseason. I get my work in with where it all started, to remind myself of what it was like being that young kid trying to make it out.
“That kind of contributes to my work ethic. I just have people around me to push me and be the better version of myself. I think that is important to the success I’ve had.”
What are your memories from your first two years at Durham Riverside High?
“Some of the best years of my life plus the two years at NC State. I feel like they were two different parts of my life. Those two years [at Riverside], I met some of my best friends to this day.
“Just coming here, knowing what I wanted to do and how hard I had to work to do it. That was my mentality and I applied it every day to school and basketball. It kind of shaped me who I am today.”
What kind of confidence boost was it when you helped the Garner Road 15s win an AAU title in Orlando, Fla.?
“It is kind of crazy because we beat [future UNC guard] Marcus Paige and his Iowa team in that game. Just winning a national championship from Durham while playing for a Raleigh team was just crazy. We were playing AAU competitively from the age of 9-10. To finally do it at 15-16, was unbelievable and a surreal moment.”
What kind of connection do you get from the Riverside High community now, even after stops at Raleigh Word of God and Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy?
“I get a lot of love from the Riverside community. I am always coming back and running into people randomly. Both Word of God and Brewster were stopping points in my life as well. Just making those stops and those relationships, I still have those relationships to this day.
“I look at every year of high school as a situational time period where I had a chance to adapt to that environment and better myself.”
You once scored 40 points at the Dave Telep Carolina Challenge the spring of your junior year. Was that a big turning point?
“That is when I really started to have that killer mentality. That is when it really took over. I used to go home each day and was like ‘Now, I know what it feels like.’ I just wanted to capture that feeling every time I played basketball. I know that feeling and I want to apply it every time I step on the court, just to remember that feeling.”
What was it like to get recruited by NC State coach Mark Gottfried and the staff after you established yourself as an elite prospect?
“It changed a lot. I always wanted to go to NC State, even as a young kid off the strength of my dad [former NCSU player Tony Warren Sr.]. To build that relationship with Gottfried coming in and his whole staff, it was really a challenge for me to adapt from coming from Brewster to back home. I always wanted to go there.”
You had a good freshman year at NC State, but then came back maybe 15 pounds lighter sophomore year. How much did that help in ending up as ACC Player of the Year?
“From freshman year to sophomore year, you are always going to hit some adversity in college. You just have to learn from it and make your self a better player. I did that and changed my body in a year, actually the summer.
“It’s crazy because I knew I wanted to take another step in my career. With all the changes that happened from freshman to sophomore year, and we had guys entering the NBA [C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown] and guys leaving. I just knew there was an opportunity to put a team on my back and make something special happen.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’d make the [NCAA] Tournament and we proved a lot of people wrong. We turned it up and that was some unforgettable moments in that NC State jersey.”
How big of an adjustment was it to be a NBA player after two years of college?
“It was very different. Just the scheduling and knowing that I don’t have to balance basketball and school. It was just all basketball. I was just trying to lock in and understand that basketball was my job. I didn’t have to worry about school any more.
“It was about trying to spend that free time. You are in the gym about two hours a day. You have to figure out what to do the rest of the day. That was the biggest challenge for me.”
How frustrating have the stops and starts been due to injuries during different parts of your NBA career?
“It has definitely been tough. You can’t predict injuries. I feel like every I really try to break through, something bad happens injury-wise. I just want to lock in and have my body in as good a shape as I can.
“I love to hoop, but you can’t control the injuries. I just want to take care of my body to prevent any injuries in the future.”
The perfect timing would have been when Warren returned from his foot injury that has wiped out this season thus far.
Warren still talked about his hometown of Durham, N.C., playing at NC State and past highlights in the NBA.The last time he’s played an NBA game is Dec. 29, 2020, which just seems crazy and sad all at once.
Warren played in 67 games in his first season with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 53.6 percent from the field and 40.3 percent on three-pointers. He exploded in bubble and had 53 points and went 9 of 12 from three-point land in a 127-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Aug. 1, 2020.
The former McDonald’s All-American played two years at NC State and was a second-team All-American after averaging 24.9 points per game in 2013-14. He turned professional and went No. 14 overall to the Phoenix Suns.
What are some of the ways you like to give back to the community?
“I like to give back to the community and I’m very family oriented. I always come back [to Triangle area] in the offseason. I get my work in with where it all started, to remind myself of what it was like being that young kid trying to make it out.
“That kind of contributes to my work ethic. I just have people around me to push me and be the better version of myself. I think that is important to the success I’ve had.”
What are your memories from your first two years at Durham Riverside High?
“Some of the best years of my life plus the two years at NC State. I feel like they were two different parts of my life. Those two years [at Riverside], I met some of my best friends to this day.
“Just coming here, knowing what I wanted to do and how hard I had to work to do it. That was my mentality and I applied it every day to school and basketball. It kind of shaped me who I am today.”
What kind of confidence boost was it when you helped the Garner Road 15s win an AAU title in Orlando, Fla.?
“It is kind of crazy because we beat [future UNC guard] Marcus Paige and his Iowa team in that game. Just winning a national championship from Durham while playing for a Raleigh team was just crazy. We were playing AAU competitively from the age of 9-10. To finally do it at 15-16, was unbelievable and a surreal moment.”
What kind of connection do you get from the Riverside High community now, even after stops at Raleigh Word of God and Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy?
“I get a lot of love from the Riverside community. I am always coming back and running into people randomly. Both Word of God and Brewster were stopping points in my life as well. Just making those stops and those relationships, I still have those relationships to this day.
“I look at every year of high school as a situational time period where I had a chance to adapt to that environment and better myself.”
You once scored 40 points at the Dave Telep Carolina Challenge the spring of your junior year. Was that a big turning point?
“That is when I really started to have that killer mentality. That is when it really took over. I used to go home each day and was like ‘Now, I know what it feels like.’ I just wanted to capture that feeling every time I played basketball. I know that feeling and I want to apply it every time I step on the court, just to remember that feeling.”
What was it like to get recruited by NC State coach Mark Gottfried and the staff after you established yourself as an elite prospect?
“It changed a lot. I always wanted to go to NC State, even as a young kid off the strength of my dad [former NCSU player Tony Warren Sr.]. To build that relationship with Gottfried coming in and his whole staff, it was really a challenge for me to adapt from coming from Brewster to back home. I always wanted to go there.”
You had a good freshman year at NC State, but then came back maybe 15 pounds lighter sophomore year. How much did that help in ending up as ACC Player of the Year?
“From freshman year to sophomore year, you are always going to hit some adversity in college. You just have to learn from it and make your self a better player. I did that and changed my body in a year, actually the summer.
“It’s crazy because I knew I wanted to take another step in my career. With all the changes that happened from freshman to sophomore year, and we had guys entering the NBA [C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown] and guys leaving. I just knew there was an opportunity to put a team on my back and make something special happen.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’d make the [NCAA] Tournament and we proved a lot of people wrong. We turned it up and that was some unforgettable moments in that NC State jersey.”
How big of an adjustment was it to be a NBA player after two years of college?
“It was very different. Just the scheduling and knowing that I don’t have to balance basketball and school. It was just all basketball. I was just trying to lock in and understand that basketball was my job. I didn’t have to worry about school any more.
“It was about trying to spend that free time. You are in the gym about two hours a day. You have to figure out what to do the rest of the day. That was the biggest challenge for me.”
How frustrating have the stops and starts been due to injuries during different parts of your NBA career?
“It has definitely been tough. You can’t predict injuries. I feel like every I really try to break through, something bad happens injury-wise. I just want to lock in and have my body in as good a shape as I can.
“I love to hoop, but you can’t control the injuries. I just want to take care of my body to prevent any injuries in the future.”
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