Gators expect a fired-up Warren in Ole Miss guard's final game in home state
Saturday, January 8, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
There was a time when Chris Warren was interested in coming to Florida. There was a time when Gators coach Billy Donovan watched Warren play regularly at Orlando's Dr. Phillips High.
Warren ended up at Ole Miss instead. The senior guard makes his final trip to Gainesville tonight when the Rebels visit the Gators in the SEC opener for both schools.
Warren enters as the SEC's second-leading scorer (18.5 points a game) and third in assists (4.3), so the Gators can't take their eyes off him.
“He's a guy that went through an ACL and rebounded very well,'' said Donovan, referring to a knee injury that cost Warren most of his sophomore season. “He has had an incredible career. He is a terrific scorer. He's got great speed and quickness. He can shoot 3s and finish at the rim.
“Certainly, he's a concern. He is one of the better guards in our league.”
Warren can shoot outside, drive to the basket, is an excellent free-throw shooter, and also one of the league's top passers, providing Rebels coach Andy Kennedy a lot of options in crunch time.
“His greatest strength is the ability to knock down shots, and he can shoot it deep,” Kennedy told SECSports.com this week. “If you're defending him, you really have to get up in his face so he can't get a shot off, but when you do that, you give him driving angles to get into the lane.”
Florida senior forward Chandler Parsons has been familiar with Warren for several years. Parsons grew up in the Orlando area like Warren, playing at Lake Howell High in nearby Casselberry.
Parsons expects Warren to bring his best for tonight's game at the O'Connell Center, Warren's final regular-season game in his home state. The Rebels lost at Miami earlier this season.
“I'm sure he's fired up. I know he wanted to come to Florida when he was in high school,'' Parsons said. “I'm sure he's going to come ready and I'm sure he's going to have a lot of people here.''
