Jameel Marcus Warney (born January 31, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Seoul SK Knights The Seoul SK Knights ( ko, 서울 SK 나이츠) is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. The club was originally founded by Jinro Group in 1997 as Cheongju Jinro McCass. Before the official launch of the basketball clu ...

of the Korean Basketball League. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Stony Brook Seawolves, leading the team to its first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and graduating as the school's all-time leader in several career categories. After going undrafted, Warney became the first Stony Brook player to reach the NBA when he made his debut with the Dallas Mavericks on March 11, 2018. Warney continued to play in the G League and was traded to the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...

in 2019 before moving his career overseas and signing with the

of the Korean Basketball League later that year. In Warney's first season in Korea, he was named the KBL's Foreign MVP. He won MVP again in 2022.

Early life and high school career

Jameel Warney was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Denise and James Warney. He grew up in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

. Warney stood 5 foot 10 inches tall at age 11. After not finding success at baseball, football or wrestling, he was recruited to play AAU by a friend's mother, even though Warney did not have much basketball knowledge at the time; he recalled tackling an opposing player in order to defend a layup in his second game. Recruited by head coach Dave Boff, Warney attended

Roselle Catholic High School Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...

. With the guidance of Boff, Warney overcame a poor work ethic that resulted in low middle school grades in order to perform well academically at Roselle Catholic and remain eligible for the NCAA. By his senior year of high school, Boff described Warney as a "borderline honor roll student" who did not miss a single day of school after being a consistent

truant Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not ref ...

in middle school. As a sophomore, Warney averaged 20.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game and was named All-Union County. During his junior year, Warney faced St. Patrick's Catholic player

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Michael Anthony Edward Kidd-Gilchrist ( Gilchrist; born September 26, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kidd-Gilchrist was drafted second ove ...

, a future second-overall draft pick from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, in the playoffs and put up 20 points and 11 rebounds. He averaged 17.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a junior. In his senior season, he averaged 17.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 blocks per game. He graduated as Roselle Catholic's all-time leading scorer. Warney was originally expected to accept a scholarship to play college basketball at nearby Rider, but Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell and his assistant

Jay Young HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the network primarily carries true crime programming. The channel was originally launched on January 1, 1982 by Turner Broadcasting as CNN2 (later renamed Headline News ...

continued to heavily pursue him through a connection with Stony Brook player Bryan Dougher, who had played on the same AAU team before Warney. Before his senior year of high school,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

expressed interest in Warney after he outplayed a prospect that Iowa was targeting. Once Iowa's interest was publicized, Warney earned attention from roughly 25 schools, including Villanova, Notre Dame and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. However, Warney wanted to play immediately instead of redshirting or being a bench player at a power conference school, and he was drawn to Stony Brook during his official visit. "I loved the campus and the community. I thought it was beautiful," he said. Ranked as the number five recruit in New Jersey by EKB Scouting and the 49th-best power forward in the country by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

, Warney officially committed to Stony Brook on August 12, 2011.

College career

Freshman season

Warney made his collegiate debut in Stony Brook's season opener on November 9, 2012 against Marist, recording eight points and five rebounds. In his second game against Mount Ida, Warney scored 16 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, becoming the first Stony Brook player in program history to attempt at least eight shots and make them all. He earned America East Rookie of the Week honors for these performances, the first Stony Brook player to be named since 2009. Playing against

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from ...

, Warney grabbed a then-best 11 rebounds. After the game, Huskies head coach

Jim Calhoun James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is a longtime college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships ( 1999, ...

visited the Stony Brook locker room to personally praise the 18-year old Warney. Warney led Stony Brook with 17 points in a 76–69 loss to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He won eight America East Rookie of the Week awards en route to being named America East Rookie of the Year, second-team All-America East, America East All-Defensive Team and America East All-Rookie Team. He was the first Stony Brook player to win Rookie of the Year and the first Stony Brook freshman to be named to an All-America East team and the All-Defensive Team. Stony Brook was eliminated in the semifinals of the America East tournament to Albany, losing 61–59 on a last-second layup. In the opening round of the NIT, Warney had 16 as Stony Brook beat UMass 71–58 for the program's first-ever NIT win. Against

in the second round, Warney led Stony Brook with 17 points and seven rebounds, but the Seawolves lost 75–63 and ended the season with a 25–8 record. Warney ended his freshman season averaging 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. His .618 shooting percentage was the best in the America East, while he was the sixth-best in rebounds and second-best in blocks. He shot .650 in conference play. His 408 points were the most by any Stony Brook freshman along with his 165 field goals made.

Sophomore season

Warney won his first America East Player of the Year award during the 2013–14 season, averaging 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting .616. He was also named first-team All-America East. He was also named an AP honorable mention All-American, a Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American and first-team All-Met. Warney became the first Stony Brook player to record three straight double-doubles. He set new career highs with a 23-point, 19-rebound double-double against Florida Atlantic and immediately bested those numbers with a 32-point, 21-rebound double-double against

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

in a 104–102 3OT win; Warney's 21 rebounds set a new program record at the time, and he shot 13-for-14. He scored 12 points in the 2014 America East championship game as Stony Brook lost 69–60. In the CBI opening round against

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

, Warney had 15 points and 10 rebounds, his tenth double-double of the season, and a new career-high five blocks.

Junior season

Warney repeated as America East Player of the Year for the 2014–15 season, averaging 16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, leading the conference in all of those statistics. He also won his first America East Defensive Player of the Year award and earned another first-team All-America East and All-Defensive Team selection. He led all of Division I with 24 double-doubles and 409 rebounds, and was one of 17 players to average a double-double on the season. He tied former Drexel star

Malik Rose Malik Jabari Rose (born November 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. High school ...

's America East record for most rebounds in a season. He had the most total rebounds in Division I and finished third in rebounds per game. Warney scored his 1,000th career point against

LIU Brooklyn LIU Brooklyn is a private university in Brooklyn, New York. It is the original unit and first of two main campuses of the private Long Island University system. Campus LIU Brooklyn is located at the intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb Avenu ...

at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Tip-Off. He had an 18-point, 11-rebound, 8-block performance versus Loyola Maryland. In Stony Brook's first program win against a ranked opponent, No. 13

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Warney scored the go-ahead bucket. He set a conference record by winning eight straight America East Player of the Week awards. Despite a Warney double-double, Stony Brook lost in the America East championship game to Albany again, this time on a last-second Peter Hooley three. In the CBI against

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

, Warney's double-double was again not enough to overcome a last-second shot. He was named as a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, an AP honorable mention All-American, a NABC All-District Team selection and first-team All-Met. Warney's 11.7 rebounds per game and 409 rebounds remain the single-season Stony Brook program record. His 575 points are the most by a Seawolves player in his junior season and were the most in a single season before he broke his own record the following year.

Senior season

Warney won his third consecutive America East Player of the Year in the 2015–16 season, joining

Northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Reggie Lewis Reginald C. Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Early life Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Lewis attended high schoo ...

and

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

's Taylor Coppenrath as the only players to do so. He also won America East Defensive Player of the Year and America East All-Defensive Team for the second straight season and was named first-team All America-East for the third straight season. He shot .630 and averaged 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 blocks in 33 games, leading the America East in shooting percentage, points, rebounds and blocks. He recorded 21 double-doubles in 33 games. His 94 blocks were the fourth-most in Division I. He led Stony Brook with 22 points and 11 rebounds against No. 17 Vanderbilt in a 79–72 OT loss. Facing Notre Dame, Warney recorded both his 1,000th career rebound and 200th career block. With 29 points against

, Warney overtook Bryan Dougher (1,609) to become the top scorer in Stony Brook's Division I history. He set a new Stony Brook program record with nine blocks against

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

, adding 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists as well. On January 25, 2016, Warney passed Tommy Brenton (1,115) for the most career rebounds in Stony Brook history. On February 8 versus

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, Warney set a new career high with 36 points on 16-for-18 shooting, tying the Stony Brook single-game point record. He won his 16th America East Player of the Week award, a new conference career record, on February 15. Warney led Stony Brook to a nation-leading 18-game win streak and a 22–4 record. In a loss to Albany, Warney surpassed Emeka Smith (1,978), a Division III player from 1989–93, to become Stony Brook's all-time leading scorer. He was named to the 35-man midseason watch list for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

and one of the final five finalists for the

Karl Malone Award The Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate power forward. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded ...

, given to the best power forward in the NCAA. He broke 2,000 career points on February 21 against

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, becoming the 110th player in Division I history to record over 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Stony Brook won the America East regular season title for the second time in Warney's career with a 14–2 conference record. In the quarterfinals of the 2016 America East tournament, Warney scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds in an 86–76 win over

UMBC The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral, ...

. His 23 rebounds broke the record for most rebounds in an America East tournament game. He added another 21-point, 13-rebound double-double in the semifinals to advance Stony Brook to the championship game for the third season in a row. Down by 15 points in the second half to

, Warney scored 23 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting in the final 16 minutes of the game as Stony Brook came back to win 80–74, clinching the school's first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. Warney ended with both a career-high and single-game school record 43 points on 18-for-23 shooting; his 18 made field goals were also a new single-game school record. He was named America East tournament MVP for his heroics, averaging 30.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game in the tournament. In the NCAA tournament's round of 64, Stony Brook was given a 13-seed and faced 4-seed

. The Seawolves lost 85–57, but Warney dropped 23 points and 15 rebounds to end his collegiate career with 60 career double-doubles. His 19.8 points per game, 655 points and 3.0 blocks per game are single-season Stony Brook records. Warney graduated averaging 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 30.7 minutes per game in 135 games played, ending as the school's all-time leader in points (2,132), rebounds (1,275), blocks (275) and games played. He won 97 games in his Stony Brook career, the most by a single player in school history. Warney Retired Number

On February 18, 2017, Warney's No. 20 was retired by Stony Brook, becoming the first basketball player in school history to have his number retired.

College statistics

, - , align="left" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, align="left" , Stony Brook , 33 , , 33 , , 27.2 , , .618 , , 0.0 , , .557 , , 7.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , 2013–14 , align="left" , Stony Brook , 34 , , 31 , , 29.4 , , .616 , , 0.0 , , .606 , , 8.0 , , 1.9 , , 0.7 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" , Stony Brook , 35 , , 34 , , 33.0 , , .538 , , 0.0 , , .574 , , 11.7 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 2.5 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" , Stony Brook , 33 , , 33 , , 32.9 , , .630 , , 0.0 , , .624 , , 10.8 , , 1.6 , , 0.9 , , 3.0 , , 19.8 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , , , , , 30.7 , , .596 , , 0.0 , , .592 , , 9.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 2.0 , , 15.8 , -

Professional career

Texas Legends (2016–2018)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Warney joined the Dallas Mavericks for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week- ...

. On July 27, 2016, he signed with the Mavericks, but was later waived on October 16 after appearing in three preseason games. On October 30, 2016, he was acquired by the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Mavericks. In his first season with the Legends, he averaged 17.3 points per game. On October 13, 2017, he was signed by the Mavericks for the second time. He was later waived before the start of the season and rejoined the Legends. Warney played 42 games in the 2017–18 season and was named to the First Team All-NBA G League after averaging 19.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

Dallas Mavericks (2018)

On March 7, 2018, the Mavericks signed him to a 10-day contract. Warney made his NBA debut on March 11, 2018 against the Houston Rockets. Warney played eight minutes and scored five points with four rebounds. Warney made his return to New York on March 13 when the Mavericks faced the New York Knicks. Against the Knicks, Warney scored an NBA career-high eight points in 12 minutes.

Return to the Texas Legends (2018–19)

The Mavericks elected not to renew Warney's 10-day contract, returning him to the Legends.

Anhui Dragons (2018)

On May 5, 2018, Warney signed with Anhui Dragons of the Chinese NBL to play during the summer. Warney tweaked his knee in July, prompting him to return home to recover.

Westchester Knicks (2019)

On January 8, 2019, Warney was traded to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for

Xavier Rathan-Mayes Xavier Rathan-Mayes (born April 29, 1994) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. High school career Born in Markha ...

. Warney scored 20 points and recorded 14 rebounds in a first round 95–82 playoff victory over the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thir ...

, the Westchester Knicks' first playoff win in team history.

Seoul SK Knights (2019–present)

On July 17, 2019, Warney signed with the

of the Korean Basketball League. In his first season with Seoul, Warney played 43 games in a shortened season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Warney led the Knights to a first-place 28–15 record while finishing fourth in the league in points per game (20.4) and third in rebounds per game (10.4). Seoul was named co-champions due to the cancellation of the postseason. Warney won the KBL's Foreign MVP award and was also named to the All–KBL Team. He re-signed with the team on September 26, 2020. In the 2020–21 season, Warney averaged 17.7 points (fourth in the KBL) and 8.6 rebounds per game. However, Seoul finished a disappointing 24–30 in ninth place.

National team career

Warney played with the senior United States national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, where he won a gold medal. He was named to the All-Tournament Team, and was also named the tournament's MVP. He was named

USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year The USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year is an annual award issued by USA Basketball that honors the top American male basketball performer during the year's international competition. See also * USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Yea ...

for 2017.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .583 , , .000 , , .600 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 3 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .583 , , .000 , , .600 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 5.7

D-League / G League

, - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" ,

, 44 , , 34 , , 29.2 , , .575 , , .000 , , .702 , , 8.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" ,

, 42 , , 35, , 35.2, , .529, , .286, , .654, , 9.6, , 2.9, , 1.2, , 1.1, , 19.9 , - , align="left" , 2018–19 , align="left" ,

, 47 , , 37, , 31.2, , .483, , .290, , .813, , 7.4, , 3.1, , 1.3, , 1.0, , 17.3

2017 FIBA Americup

, - , align="left" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, align="left" ,

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .649 , , 0.0 , , .615 , , 8.6 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.8 , , 12.8 , -

Notes

References

External links

FIBA ProfileStony Brook bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warney, Jameel 1994 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American men's basketball players Anhui Dragons players Basketball players from New Jersey Dallas Mavericks players Power forwards (basketball) Roselle Catholic High School alumni Sportspeople from New Brunswick, New Jersey Sportspeople from Plainfield, New Jersey Stony Brook Seawolves men's basketball players Texas Legends players Undrafted National Basketball Association players United States men's national basketball team players Westchester Knicks players