TJ Warren wants to “Destroy” the competition

NC State has played well this season, but if there’s one area that they’ve been inconsistent lately, it’s on offense. State doesn’t have any true scorers on their roster. They don’t have the guy who can get buckets both in the paint and from outside. That will change next year when they welcome top 25 recruit and McDonald’s All-American, TJ Warren.

Warren is a true scorer in high school. He’s got good size at 6’8, 230lbs and can beat you from inside or outside. But how will his scoring ability translate to college ball? We asked the man himself:

“Having the ability to score is my speciality. Translating that to college is going to be a tough task but with the coaching staff guiding me through it. I should have no problem.” said Warren. “Coach Gottfried said he is going to put me in the position to score and make plays for my teammates. Im preparing for that everyday by working on my game and getting in the gym every chance I get.”

One thing that’s helped Warren go from a top 100 player to a top 25 player is his work ethic and attitude. Early in his career TJ got the rap of being lazy. He was nonchalant and looked as if he was just going through the motions. Warren always had the skills and a knack for scoring the basketball, but scouts and college coaches alike were worried that he just didn’t have that killer instinct.

That call changed midway through his junior season. Warren began to take the game seriously. His recruitment was heating up but he watched as some of his peers shot up in the rankings. It was time for TJ to re-focus and take things seriously. Towards the end of his junior season he began to play with a whole new kind of passion. He was hungry and he wasn’t going to be denied. Then came his coming out party at the Carolina Challenge. This was his chance to show national scouts that he was in fact ready to take things more seriously. Warren dropped 40 points in his first game, a camp record, and suddenly he’d arrived. He had combined his skills with a killer instinct and he’s been climbing the charts ever since.

” Having that focus and mentality is something I put a lot into.” Warren told us. “Early in my high school career it was always a knock on my game. As I got older I started to open up a lot of eyes, and every event i went to I tried to destroy any-and-everybody that was ahead of me.”

Warren has been destroying the competition ever since. He transferred schools form Word of God to Brewster Academy up north, but his dominance came with him. Warren is the leading scorer at one of the most talented schools in the nation, helping him to be a selection of the prestigious McDonald’s All-American game.

“When I found out I made the Mcdonald’s game it was a dream come true.” TJ said. “To know all of this hard work and dedication I put into this game has paid off. I realized it doesn’t stop here, I’ve got to keep proving myself and continue to kill everything in my path.”

TJ will join two fellow McDonald’s All-Americans at NC State next season, Rodney Purvis and Tyler Lewis. The three will represent the best recruiting class that NC State has ever seen and will hopefully bring the Pack back to prominence. Warren says the three are ready and have been talking all the time about what’s on the horizon.

” I talk to Tyler and Rodney a lot.” Warren said. “They are both excited and I am also. We just want to come in and make some big things happen for  NC State and Raleigh, NC!”