LSWA Miss Basketball: Immediate impact, Warren brings ultimate set of tools to help tune-up Gators program
Warren Arceneaux
Going into high school with a big reputation from middle school and travel ball, Jeriah Warren entered LaGrange hoping to improve her skill set and helping the school win a state championship.
Warren accomplished both goals, leading the Gators to a pair of state championships and earning a scholarship to the University of Florida along the way.
This season she averaged 18.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.2 blocks. The Gators went 30-1 and repeated as Class 4A state champions. For that, Warren was voted winner of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Miss Basketball award, given annually to the state’s most outstanding player.
Warren’s diverse skill set allowed her to help the Gators in a variety of roles. Offensively she served as the primary ballhandler. Defensively she was equally capable of spearheading the Gators’ trademark defense from the top as a perimeter defender or inside as a paint protector.
Her impact was immediate. After winning two playoff games over the previous seasons, the Gators reached the regional round of the Class 5A playoffs each of her first two seasons, then went a combined 62-5 over her final two seasons, each ending with a state title. She was a first-team all-district selection in all four seasons, a three-time all-state selection and two-time championship game MVP.
She finished her career with more than 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 blocks.
“When I first met her in fifth grade I knew she was different, but coming into high school I was really impressed with the way she took on the expectations and the challenges,” LaGrange head coach La’Keem Holmes said. “From the beginning, she understood the goal and worked towards it.”
Warren said the daily work in practice, aside from the championship celebrations, was the best part of her high school career.
“The practices were always competitive, from the freshmen to the seniors,” she said.
“That made us all work harder what made us get better. Coming into high school, I knew that I had a lot of different skills to work on because it was more difficult than middle school. I wanted to improve at those things. That was going to help me reach my goal of becoming a state champion. Handling the ball under pressure and driving to the goal were the areas I improved the most.”
Holmes said Warren never cared about individual awards.
“My favorite memory of her was setting her MVP award down and running so she could go celebrate with her teammates,” he said. “In the locker room, you couldn’t tell if she was the MVP or the last girl on the bench. She never asked about stats or cared about accolades. She celebrated other people’s success more than her own. Jeriah is the most non-superstar superstar.”