CHILD’S PLAY: Freshman Jameel Warney, driving to the basket against Seton Hall, shares the team lead in scoring for Stony Brook, which leads the America East Conference. (
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Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell first saw Jameel Warney play as a junior in high school. It didn’t take long for the coach to figure out if the 6-foot-8 forward would fit on his team.
“It took me about five seconds to evaluate him. The first time I saw him play I offered him a scholarship,” Pikiell said. “I loved him, loved him. He was an athletic big man, powerful, could pass, had terrific hands and could play above the rim. That wasn’t a hard one for me.”
Warney was easy to assess, but not necessarily easy to get. The New Jersey native drew interest from bigger schools, including Iowa, Temple and Penn State, but the Stony Brook staff tirelessly attended each of his games and made the big man feel comfortable attending the smaller school.
The coaches then got one final assist from Bryan Dougher, who graduated last year as Stony Brook’s all-time leading scorer in Division I and talked to Warney, his former AAU teammate. The incoming and outgoing players agreed — bigger did not mean better.
“He’s unique. 99 kids out of 100 go to the highest level whether it’s the right place for them or not,” Pikiell said. “It’s the world we live in. He had every place he could have went to. It happens with other kids and the minute someone calls they’re heading off to wherever. He’s got great character. He’s made a tremendous impact and he’s just getting better.”
A starter since the first game this season, Warney has helped the Seawolves to first place in the America East Conference and their best start since joining Division I in 1999, while winning the conference’s rookie of the week award seven times. He shares the team lead with 11.6 points a game, leads the conference with 1.6 blocks and a .602 field-goal percentage, while also pulling down 7.7 rebounds.
Pikiell hasn’t been surprised by Warney’s immediate impact, just amazed he could lose four-year starting big man Dallis Joyner and instantly upgrade with a freshman. After initial tentativeness about playing at the next level, Warney has acclimated seamlessly to double teams and deafening gyms, demonstrating an unmatched presence in the paint.
“I’m a lot more confident now,” Warney said. “I was a little hesitant the first couple games, trying to contribute, but I’m a key contributor to this team. Right now we’re really confident we can win a league championship.”
The Seawolves have two regular-season titles in the past three years. Another one is a goal, but it’s not “the” goal — NCAA Tournament or bust. Senior Tommy Brenton sees it no other way. He has watched the team fall short in two straight conference title games, and for him, there is no next year.
Brenton is the team’s versatile leader while Warney’s game is more defined. The latter is a legitimate low-post presence, an anomaly in a game that keeps extending farther from the basket. Brenton is doing everything he can, any way he can, but he knows Warney may be the most important piece of the Stony Brook puzzle, the difference between dancing and dreaming. And he’s making sure Warney realizes that, too.
“It’s my last go-round, so I’ve raised the level of expectations for him,” Brenton said. “I let him be a freshman during the summer, then I moved him up to a sophomore as the season went on and I think he’s about a junior right now. We don’t think of him like a freshman, that’s for sure. I need him. We all need him.”
GAMES OF THE WEEK
LIU Brooklyn vs. Robert Morris, Today, 3 p.m.
A rematch of last year’s NEC championship game could be a preview of this year’s title game. After six consecutive losses, including three straight to start conference play, the Blackbirds are back in contention for their third straight league title. Senior guard C.J. Garner has been key, averaging 17 points during the team’s six-game winning streak.
Iona at Canisius, Tonight, 7 p.m.
How will the Gaels recover from a 15-point meltdown in a last-second overtime loss at Niagara, which prevented them from tying the Purple Eagles for first place in the MAAC? Closing out their toughest three-game stretch of the season, Iona will try to hold on to second-place in the conference against Canisius, which has lost only two home games this season.
Connecticut at St. John’s, Wed., 7 p.m.
St. John’s has won five straight games, but now enters a four-game stretch which includes road games at Georgetown, Syracuse and Louisville. This home game may be a must-win if the Red Storm are serious about dancing next month. They survived overtime against DePaul without D’Angelo Harrison, but the star guard can’t afford to foul out anymore. He is their offense.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com