‘Always stay ready’

There are too many moments to count where Davion Warren could’ve made the wrong choice.

Growing up in the slums of Buffalo, N.Y., Warren was often faced with a potentially life-altering decision that could’ve landed him in an orange jumpsuit rather than suiting up for the Winnipeg Sea Bears this summer — or having a career in basketball at all, for that matter.

It wasn’t much better watching several childhood friends pay the price for making the wrong move, but it taught some important lessons that the 27-year-old still carries with him today.

“A lot of friends in federal prison; a lot of friends passed away. Those are lessons, right there. There is two people you don’t want to be like,” Warren said after Sea Bears practice on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we all grow up as kids, and we take our own route. You don’t want to end up dying at that young age, and you don’t want to end up in jail, getting the same number (sentence) as your age.”

Warren has since built a commendable life and career on the hardwood that has brought many more lessons.

In the fall of 2023, after finishing his first Canadian Elite Basketball League season with the Edmonton Stingers, Warren signed a deal with a team in Taiwan that folded shortly before the season began. With a five-year-old son to support, Warren drove Uber to supplement the income that he was expecting to make before being scooped up by the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League.

He told himself the same words during that time: sometimes, you simply need to figure it out.

Those are the same words he told himself when he didn’t receive a Division 1 offer out of high school and was forced to cut his teeth for two seasons at Olney Central College in Illinois, where he was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player.

He also thought that when he finally received an offer from Hampton University (Virginia), where he played with two top-10 scorers in the country and scraped for offensive production. In his junior season (second year) at Hampton, Warren was the 12th leading scorer in the country and took home several honours, including Big South Player of the Year and BCSN All-American.

When he left the low-mid major to chase a larger spotlight at Texas Tech, which featured Terrence Shannon Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. — two players who were on the radar of NBA teams — Warren didn’t sweat as he had to start over.

“It teaches you the concept of, we say, ‘Being a dog.’ It teaches you how to be a dog, and to go in every situation and figure it out,” Warren said.

“So that’s the lesson: always stay ready. Always be blessed and happy to play, no matter what’s going on,” Warren said. “Just always remember to be blessed to be in those doors you win, because if not, you don’t want to be driving Uber and everybody asking you, ‘I thought you were playing basketball?’”

Warren’s decisions are reflected in the man he is today, as he prepares to begin his second stint in the CEBL on Saturday against the team that gave him his first opportunity in the league.

“First of all, he’s a great person. He’s an unbelievable young guy,” said Sea Bears head coach Mike Raimbault. “His attitude is great. He’s been in for early work and late work. He’s been in the weight room. He’s doing all of the things to sort of get himself ready for what we’re doing.”

With Armani Chaney, Teddy Allen and Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. likely filling the three available import spots in the starting lineup, that leaves Warren to make an impact off the bench.

He’s done just that everywhere he’s gone, dating back to his time at Texas Tech, where he averaged 9.4 points and led the Red Raiders with 53 total steals.

While Warren has made a career off being excellent on defence and possessing a natural scoring ability, what helped him land a job in Winnipeg was his versatility, which is coveted by Raimbault, who said both parties are “learning on the fly” as the 6-6 guard/forward is moved around the floor.

“He’s certainly able to do a bunch of things. We think he’s very switchable; he can guard multiple positions,” Raimbault said. “We love the way that he’s able to rebound the ball, and he uses his body to get in the lane. I think it’s now just a matter of him getting comfortable in the spots that we would like him to be in, and we expect some good things.”

Warren had another decision to make this spring of where to play next, following an outstanding season with the BHC Knights in the Mongolian National Basketball League.

Unlike some of his past situations, he said joining the Sea Bears was an easy one to make.

“You never know if it’s gonna be the right fit until you get there, and it turns out, so far, it’s the right fit,” Warren said. “It doesn’t matter what role I’m in, as long as we win the game.”

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