Marques Warrick on joining La Familia for TBT: "I'm not taking this for granted"

Lexington native Marques Warrick has been around Kentucky Basketball his whole life, so when La Familia general manager Twany Beckham called him last week to ask if he’d like to represent the Cats in The Basketball Tournament, he didn’t hesitate.

“I definitely jumped on it in a heartbeat,” Warrick told KSR’s Zack Geoghegan on Monday.

Warrick finished his high school career as Henry Clay’s all-time leading scorer and 11th Region Player of the Year. He spent his undergraduate career playing for Darrin Horn at Northern Kentucky University, where he also set the scoring record and led the Norse to the 2023 Horizon League title and the NCAA Tournament. For his graduate year, the 6’3″ 190 lbs. guard transferred to Missouri and got his first taste of SEC basketball. His best game? The final one of the regular season, when he came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points, including four threes, to keep the Tigers within striking distance of No. 19 Kentucky in Columbia.

“That game meant a little bit more to me, for sure,” Warrick admitted. “I wish it were here [in Lexington] so I could have about 50 of my people here. It meant a lot.”

Warrick averaged 6.6 points and 1.3 assists in 13.5 minutes per game playing for Dennis Gates at Missouri, shooting 48.1% from the floor and 45.6% from three-point range. He admitted that transitioning from Northern Kentucky and the Horizon League to Missouri and the SEC was a “big jump,” but it was one worth taking in hopes of pursuing a professional career.

“Every day in practice, it was something else, just playing against those top athletic guys and quicker guards and things like that, versus on the mid-major level. So, I learned a lot. I grew a lot as a player. I definitely feel like I got better from this year and last year, leaving NKU, and being in the toughest conference in the country, and maybe in history. It was a war every night. And we had battles and things like that, especially against Kentucky. It was a great experience there. I learned a lot.”

Still, the NBA pre-draft process didn’t go as Warrick had liked, so he’s hoping his run with La Familia will open some doors. Playing alongside former NBA Draft picks and longtime pros can only help him on that journey.

“I’m here on business, really, but also learning a lot from these guys, making friends, and building connections as well, but at the same time, I’m here on business. Like I said, I need whatever I can get for a pro contract. I just need the platform to showcase my abilities, really, that’s it. I didn’t really get it during the pre-draft process. But now, I just want to showcase what I can do on the highest level.”

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“I know that God called me to NKU”

At Northern Kentucky, Warrick totaled 2,246 career points, a program record. He was a four-time All-Horizon League honoree and was one of just 10 players nationally to score at least 600 points in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. In his senior year, he averaged a career-best 19.9 points per game and won Horizon League Tournament MVP. During all four seasons with the Norse, he averaged at least two three-pointers per game. With those kinds of numbers, he could have left Northern Kentucky for a bigger program sooner, but he wanted to honor his commitment.

“I know that God called me to NKU for sure to do what I did there and finish off four years there. Now in the NIL era, it’s unheard of, but I’m big on loyalty and just spending my four years there and leaving a legacy, not only individually, but winning. I won the Horizon Tournament there to go to March Madness, and I’m very grateful for that, and I finished as the all-time leading scorer there, so I knew it was my duty to stay, honestly.”

With a year of SEC basketball under his belt, Warrick is looking forward to chasing more opportunities, starting with the winner-take-all $1 million TBT prize.

“Serious basketball. I mean, we all know a million dollars is on the line, but it’s more than that. It’s pride and playing in front of the hometown crowd like this, in Lexington, for Kentucky fans. It’s going to be sold out, great environment. So, it’s more than money, really. It’s a lot of pride in coming into this.”

Warrick may not have gotten to play in Rupp Arena, but he’ll have friends and family at Memorial Coliseum on Friday night. He’s determined to make the most of the full-circle moment.

“That’s exactly how I described it to other people. Just watching these former UK greats on TV every day, every night, and now being able to play with them and compete and learn and things like that. So, I’m not taking this for granted.”