Introducing Willie Warren

July 2, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - The most highly regarded high school guard signee in OU men's basketball history has arrived in Norman. Willie Warren, a consensus All-American last year at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, Texas, is on campus attending class and working out. He is expected to play a major role on a 2008-09 Sooners team that just two weeks ago was ranked No. 7 nationally by Rivals.com.

As a senior last year, Warren led North Crowley to a 38-1 record and the Texas 5A state title by averaging 24.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He was named the Gatorade Texas Player of the Year and led all scorers in the McDonald's High School All-American game with 23 points.

Warren, who is joined in OU's 2008 recruiting class by fellow freshman Ray Willis and junior college transfers Orlando Allen, Kyle Cannon and Juan Pattillo, recently sat down with SoonerSports.com for an extensive two-part Q&A. Part two will appear Monday, July 7.

When did you get to campus?
"June 5 was my first day here."

Are you taking summer school classes?
"I'm enrolled in History of Jazz. It's not that difficult, but it's helping me get used to waking up on a timely schedule and prepare me for the school year. It's real a fun class."

Do you have a roommate?
"Yeah, Ray Willis is my roommate. It's going good. You can't go wrong with Ray. He's a character."

Do you guys stay up late or go to bed early?
"It varies. Some nights it might be kind of late, but on days where Coach Darby (Rich) gets a hold of us for a morning workout, we might go to bed at like 6 or 7 that evening because we're so tired."

Besides going to class and lifting weights, how have you been occupying your time in Norman?
"Just playing basketball, hanging with the team and getting a feel for everyone. That's about it."

You've already accomplished quite a bit as a basketball player. Do you have a highlight so far?
"It has to be winning the state championship game last year. I think that's the first time I've been in a tough situation but still felt like everything was under control. I knew from the beginning that we were going to win and I can't even tell you why. Usually I'd be nervous no matter who we were playing. Fort Bend Dulles jumped out on us like 13-2 and Coach (Tommy) Brakel called a timeout to settle the team down. He looked at me and I didn't look discouraged or nervous about anything. I had a straight look on my face like it was 0-0. He looked at me and said, 'Are you all right?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm fine.' He said, 'You sure?' I said, 'Yeah.' We got it rolling and ended up winning the state championship game."

How would you recap your senior season? Not only did you win the state championship, but your team finished 38-1.
"I made a big decision by leaving leave Oak Hill Academy (in Virginia) and going back to North Crowley. It was a decision I hoped I wouldn't regret. In the end, we all came together and it ended in triumph. It was something I couldn't imagine, the way it topped off my senior year. We should have finished 39-0 but we lost early in the year to Fort Bend Hightower by like six points. I was just coming back from Virginia and our chemistry wasn't quite there. Some of the other players felt like I could do whatever (I wanted), so I had to earn their respect back by working as hard as everyone else in the gym. After that loss, we all put everything behind us. We got rolling and didn't lose again."

Why did you decide to leave Oak Hill and return to Fort Worth?
"Mainly it was because I was homesick and it just wasn't what I expected it would be."

How did you enjoy the McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American Games?
"I enjoyed both of those. The McDonald's Game was my favorite because we got to do a lot more outside of basketball and it seemed a little more organized. I'm not downing the Jordan Game because it was great -- you can't go wrong going to New York. But going to see the kids at the Ronald McDonald House is just something you want to be a part of."

What's the best part about playing in those all-star games?
"The best part is you're out there to have fun. You're on a national stage with kids you competed against all last summer to get a spot for the McDonald's Game. Now you all come together and are just having fun. It's a serious game because everybody wants to win, but at the same time it's not as serious."

What are your biggest strengths on the basketball court?
"I think my two biggest strengths are shooting the 3-pointer and being able to get to the rack when I want."

What are some areas in which you want to improve as a player?
"Ball handling and full court defense. I've been working on it during pick-up games. Tony (Crocker) has been giving me no choice but to work on the ball handling. He's been pressuring me full court. The other day he and Ray were double-teaming me during a game. They're really making me work and hopefully it will lead to a successful season."

What other newcomers have you played pick-up with this summer?
"Orlando Allen and Ray have been here playing with us. I feel like if Orlando gets in shape he can be a monster. He's very powerful on the court and makes his presence felt blocking shots and finishing. The two things I think he needs to work on are catching the ball a little bit better and his conditioning -- his ability to get up and down the court. If he does that I think he can be unstoppable.

"If Ray puts on some weight on him, he will be unstoppable. He has just about everything. That's really the only thing (he lacks). He has a nice face-up game where he can score without putting the ball on the court, he can handle it, can shoot the 3, can get to the rack. All he needs to do is put a little more meat on his body."

What were the major reasons you decided on OU?
"Just being able to play for a coach like Coach Capel. I think he was very successful at VCU. (As a player) he was a 6-4 or 6-5 combo guard, I'm a 6-4 combo guard. He was on the verge of going to the NBA if he wouldn't have gotten sick or gotten hurt. I compare my game a lot to his and he'll know what it takes for me to get to the next level."

Check back Monday, July 7, for part two of Willie Warren's Q&A.

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