For father and son Warriors Paul and Derek Warren, basketball goes well beyond the court.
Paul Warren’s freshman year of college was difficult. While the 1990 graduate enjoyed his early days at Union, he had a hard time connecting with others. For Paul, the decision to attend Union had been an easy one. However, few of his high school classmates joined him, and he found it difficult to meet new people and make friends.
When Paul joined the basketball team, everything changed. As a Warrior, he felt like part of something bigger—he had a place at Union. “I found my role,” he said. As he went to practice each week, he began to make friends and connect with the other players on his team. “We spent a lot of time together,” he said. “It gets to be a kind of brotherhood.”
Looking back on his time as a Warrior, Paul credits basketball with teaching him the skills he needed to be successful after graduation. “It forces you to work together, to develop chemistry, to learn people’s strengths and weaknesses and how to deal with them,” he said, “These skills obviously become useful later in life.”
He also believes athletics taught him and his teammates how to be good leaders. “I look at some of the guys I played with and where they are in life in regards to life and careers,” he said. “I can name one right after another who either owns a business or are in some type of leadership. I don’t think that is coincidental.”
And even today, the feeling of brotherhood has not gone away. “It’s like we never left. We take off right where we left off,” said Paul. “We have that connection, it is kind of hard to explain.”
Derek’s love of basketball goes back as long as he can remember. “It’s my passion and a great way to get my mind off of academics,” he laughed. In fact, Derek’s decision to attend Union was heavily influenced by its strong academics paired with athletic opportunities.
Like his father, he appreciates how basketball has given him the opportunity to make friends with his teammates. “I like getting to know people I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been on the basketball team,” said Derek. He also enjoys traveling and meeting players from the various schools the Warriors competed against this year.
Derek has also learned a lot about life from being on the team, including persistence, teamwork, and positivity, all skills he knows will come in handy beyond the basketball court. “It has made me realize you can’t get too low with the losses or get too high with the wins,” he said, “It is a good opportunity to practice staying positive.”
Both Derek and Paul are excited about the new AdventHealth Complex and Reiner Wellness Center that Union is planning to build. “It shows incoming students how much Union cares about the athletics program and they are committed to it,” Derek said, “It is definitely an upgrade.”
His father agrees, saying it is a reflection of the care and concern of the administration and donors for athletics. “It shows the school has been responsible with their money and it’s wonderful how donors have stepped up,” he said.
Being a Warrior has taught both Paul and Derek that basketball is not just a sport, but a way to connect with others and grow as an individual. Paul loves watching his son play alongside his former teammates’ kids. He hopes they, and their future children, will have the same opportunity to play, learn, and experience the Warrior bond as he did. The AdventHealth Complex and Reiner Wellness Center is an important step toward making that dream a reality.
To support the Fit for the Future campaign and the student athletes it will benefit, visit uau.edu/fit/give