The Hoop Summit Hometown Heroes Report
A 'Where Are They Now' profile of Former North Texas area High School players Now Playing in the Professional Ranks
Player Profile: Willie Warren
Willie Warren is now playing in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association. The former North Crowley and University of Oklahoma star is leading the league in scoring at 44.0PPG and is now widely considered the best player in China. Warren leads his team with a 44.0 PPG scoring average and set a single-season CBA record with nine games of 50 or more points, including a 66-point effort in December against the Shanghai Sharks, who were led by Michael Beasley (42 points) of the Miami Heat and Bernard James (20 points) of the Dallas Mavericks.
We caught up to Willie recently and had the chance to sit down with him to chat about life as a professional basketball player, best high school memories, and what advice he would pass on to the younger generation of athletes following in his footsteps. Here’s what he had to say…...
What are your fondest memories of playing at North Crowley? When I was here, I was just trying to win. There wasn’t much of a mystery to it. I do know that the hard work pays off and doing this helps the younger guys when you see guys like Keith Langford and myself honored in this way. Not everyone will get a jersey retired, but it’s something to look forward to if you’re working and trying to get better. I kind of laugh, though, when I think about winning state because it reminds me of the hard times me and Coach [Tommy] Brakel had together. As far as that dunk, I remember that like it was yesterday. We had made a run to finally get the lead and I can’t remember exactly what happened, but my teammate T.J. Franklin was taking the ball out and I went long. I want to say Coach Brakel drew it up out of a timeout and it just worked to perfection. That dunk was really just like a statement dunk. It just meant that all our hard work had paid off.
What’s it like to play pro ball in China? It’s a very good league for a short period of time. I played in Israel and Europe, and those are traditional eight-month leagues or nine if you’re in the playoffs, whereas China is five months or so. Right now, I’m just trying to make some money for my family and enjoy what the game means to me. One day, I’ll try to get back to the NBA, but for now I’m probably going to keep playing in China.
What’s advice would you give to a young athlete hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Stay focused tune people out and focus on doing what's best for yourself and your family and listen to your coach. I look back now and say my high school coach and college coach were right about everything they were telling it's a business if you don't understand the business side of basketball first then playing it won't be easy. Every kid should know that your grades matter and academics comes before athletics.
North Texas continues to produce great basketball talent. What advice do you give these guys about recruiting? The main thing is patience. Patience will help you through a lot of things, and not just making decisions about college, but life, also. It’s something I wish I would have done more of. If they have patience and look for the right situation, they can do a lot in their career. I think for me, OU was a great decision. It was close to home, I got to play with one of the best college players ever in Blake Griffin.
Here's a look at Willie Warren's Professional Playing Career
| 2015/2016 | Zhejiang Cyclones (China: CBA) |
| 2014/2015 | Chongqing Fly Dragon (China: CBA) |
| 2013/2014 | Granarolo Bologna (Italy: Lega A) |
| 2013/2014 | Szolnoki Olaj (FIBA Europe Cup) |
| 2013/2014 | Szolnoki Olaj (Adriatic League) |
| 2012/2013 | Rishon Le Zion (Israel: Winner League) |
| 2011/2012 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (USA: NBDL) |
| 2010/2011 | Bakersfield Jam (USA: NBDL) |
| 2010/2011 | L.A. Clippers (USA: NBA) |
Follow the former Texas Mr. Basketball's Journey abroad via social media at: Willie Warren's Facebook Profile
