Behind the extraordinary juggling act of Gonzaga’s Jalen Warley: ‘He’s one of a kind’

It’s around 8 p.m., and Jalen Warley is still the main attraction for autograph seekers 30 or so minutes after eighth-ranked Gonzaga sweated out a 68-66 victory over San Francisco.

On this night, there is perhaps no bigger fan of the senior wing than his head coach. Mark Few runs through the list of adjectives during a postgame news conference, describing Warley as “inspiring” and “the epitome of toughness.” Come to find out, the Gonzaga player also has a supporter in the man he just beat.

“He’s a guy I’d love to have on my team,” San Francisco coach Chris Gerlufsen said, offering kudos to Warley through the disappointment of a 34th straight loss to GU. “I’m a huge fan.”

Warley posts 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and makes a key defensive closeout for the Zags, forcing USF wing Junjie Wang to miss badly on a 3-pointer in the game’s final seconds. If Warley gets there a split-second late, maybe Wang has more time to set his feet, lock in on the basket and release a better shot. If it drops, Gonzaga kicks away its unbeaten home season, squanders the WCC’s No. 1 overall seed, falls in the AP rankings, and who knows what else.

Warley’s signature is the one a few dozen fans want after a thrilling finish against USF, and they’re willing to wait 30 minutes for it. But the player only makes it a fraction of the way down the line with a permanent marker before he’s interrupted. A high-pitched cry cuts right through the mixture of sounds coming from the crowd above.

It’s familiar to Warley.

“I kind of can recognize my son’s voice,” Warley said. “Once he sensed I was there, it’s Dad time. He’s not going to let me wait and sign posters and take pictures; no, he’s ready to see me right away.”

The 23-year-old snaps into action, scooping his son off the ground and into his arms.

This is what the latest transformation looks like for someone who’s played every role and every position – not an exaggeration – for the third-seeded Gonzaga team that opens the NCAA Tournament against 14th-seeded Kennesaw State on Thursday (7 p.m., TBS) at the Moda Center.

In one instance, Warley’s announced as the Most Valuable Player over a public address speaker for what he did against San Francisco. An hour later, he’s wearing another hat: Most Valuable Parent.

It’s the perfect glimpse into Warley’s world the last five months – the duality of his two lives. Doing everything on the court for a Gonzaga team that feels it can make a Final Four run over the next three weeks. Doing everything and more for 1-year-old Kyson, who steals most of the time Warley has outside of the basketball facility and classroom.

“He’s just been great. He’s great,” Few said. “His effort’s great, his teamness, ability to interact with the guys is great. His defense is something that reminds me of Anton (Watson) with his hands. He’s one of a kind for us.”

A Philadelphia native surrounded by schools like Villanova, St. Joseph’s and Temple, Warley caught the college hoops fever at an early age and was hooked on the NCAA Tournament by middle school.

Teachers at Friends Central, the school Warley attended and father Jason worked at for 28 years as an educator, engaged in bracket pools and streamed tournament games on television sets during classes. Math teachers used basketball equations to help students understand basic percentages. If a player was shooting 70% from the field, how many shots did he make out of 10?

“(The NCAA Tournament) has always been a dream of his,” Jason Warley said.

Jason was a 6-5 forward who played at Philadelphia-based St. Joe’s in the early 1990s. Jalen’s grandfather, Ben, played as a small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1960s on teams with Wilt Chamberlain. The NBA legend known for his record 100-point game also has a connection to the Warley clan: Chamberlain was Jason’s godfather.

Jason was always trying to collect pointers and seek advice from greats like Chamberlain and Hank Gathers, the former Loyola Marymount standout and Philly native who collapsed and died on the court during the 1989 season.

“Hank Gathers and Wilt both told me, when you dunk the ball, you want to break their arm,” Jason said. “You don’t want them to think they have a chance of blocking your shot. Break their arm. And I remember Wilt just saying, I just told this to a kid who was in high school who was about to go to Georgetown. Patrick Ewing. I told him the same story.”

Jason wanted to give his son the same tools and resources, but was limited in what he could offer. Jason and Ben Warley were forwards. Chamberlain was a stretchy 7-foot-1 center. There wasn’t a guard in sight on the family tree.

“I told people (Jalen) was a tiger in a lion’s family,” Jason said.

Thankfully, Jason was well-connected in Philadelphia basketball circles. One of his pre-K students at Friends Central was Karter Lowry, the son of NBA guard Kyle Lowry, a Philadelphia native, six-time All-Star and former Villanova standout. Jason made a deal: If he watched over Karter after class, could Lowry swing five to 10 minutes with Jalen to share pieces of wisdom? Jason would make similar asks of friends like Aaron McKie, the 2001 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and former NBA guard Alvin Williams.

“If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” Jason said.

When Jalen was seeking an AAU program, Jason had only one demand: His son had to play point guard. Certain programs passed, but Warley found the right fit with Team Durant, the Nike EYBL program sponsored by 16-time NBA All-Star and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant.

Durant’s father, Wayne Pratt, serves as the Program Director and conveniently lived between Warley’s home in Philadelphia and the team’s training facility in Baltimore – a 90-minute drive. Pratt took an immediate liking to Warley and encouraged him to stop by and pick up signature “KD” brand sneakers on his way in and out of the city.

“His dad would say, come past my house, go into the garage and pick out some sneakers, because Jalen’s feet were big at the time,” Jason said. “Listen to me. Come by and get a pair. Stop trying to be nice and say, never mind. Come get a pair of sneakers. So his dad was always looking over Jalen, telling him what to do and how to handle things and situations and everything like that.”

Jason always advised his son to maintain relationships, encouraging him to never burn bridges. It’s how Jason’s former St. Joe’s coach, Phil Martelli, returned to the Warleys’ living room decades later (via Zoom call due to COVID-19 restrictions) to recruit Jalen as a Michigan assistant.

When Jalen was in middle school, he looked up to and solicited advice from a local standout named De’Andre Hunter. Years after he won a national championship at Virginia, Hunter was playing for the Atlanta Hawks when former Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett asked if he could make a phone call. Virginia was scouting a talented, four-star combo guard from the Philly area.

Jalen ultimately chose Florida State, but he’d eventually circle back to Virginia after entering the transfer portal three years later. Relationships and networking efforts at Florida State paid off, too.

Former Seminoles guard Scottie Barnes, a two-time NBA All-Star with the Toronto Raptors, would return to Tallahassee, Florida, for summer workouts and pickup ball. The inquisitive Jalen took chances to ask Barnes about his routine, workouts, training preferences, diet and more. Before long, Barnes was inviting Jalen to pickup runs that included James Harden and other NBA players.

Jalen was still able to form an important relationship during the lowest point of his college career. The Seminoles went just 9-23 in 2022-23, but the sophomore developed a bond with first-year FSU assistant R-Jay Barsh. The following season, Barsh accepted a position on Few’s staff at Gonzaga. Jalen was on the move a year after, transferring to Virginia, where he planned to take over as the Cavaliers’ point guard.

It was a big pickup for Virginia and exciting development for Jalen’s family, which could take a four-hour train ride from Philadelphia to attend home games.

“Tony Bennett cried when Jalen said I’m going to come here,” Jason recalled.

But 20 days before the 2024-25 season opener, Jalen’s path was rerouted again when Bennett, the former Washington State coach, announced his sudden retirement. Jalen joined Virginia’s roster for an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament – something he hadn’t done in three years at FSU – and didn’t want to take a gamble with a first-year coach.

So Jalen dropped his name back into the transfer portal. Within hours, there was communication from Barsh. The Zags had a scholarship for Jalen and a need for his skills … eventually. Other programs offered transfer opportunities to play immediately. Gonzaga proposed a redshirt season.

“One thing I did know is he was going to be a high-character, everyday guy and he’s a Swiss Army Knife defensively for Gonzaga,” Barsh said. “I knew we didn’t need a point guard per se, but having a switchable guy who could handle it in transition at the three or four spot, that would make us versatile if we got into a pinch.”

Jalen’s head was still spinning from Bennett’s abrupt departure when he flew to Spokane for an official visit on Nov. 12, 2024. It wasn’t the only thing weighing on the player’s mind and heart.

The timing of the visit was complicated, to say the least.

Four days earlier, Jalen’s girlfriend, Marleyna Hyler, gave birth to their son. With uncertainty surrounding his college basketball career, a new set of responsibilities were suddenly stacked on his shoulders.

“Which was so hard,” Jalen said. “But it was also just an excitement as I was walking around in Spokane, just thinking about this is where he could grow up the first year and a half of his life.”

Jalen noticed how Gonzaga’s assistants incorporated their kids into different activities and was immediately sold on the program’s culture. It didn’t hurt that 26 rings spilled out of Few’s drawer when Jalen got a tour of the coach’s second-floor office.

A redshirt year in 2024-25 served multiple purposes for Jalen, who was able to learn Gonzaga’s system in a low-pressure environment while settling into fatherhood. If he was running low on sleep the night before a game, he didn’t have to worry about it impacting his performance on the court.

Jalen’s schedule is regimented, though the daily agenda probably sounds overwhelming to younger Gonzaga classmates not dealing with the workload of an undergraduate student-athlete who’s also raising a 14-month-old son.

A wakeup call usually comes between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Warley prepares breakfast for Kyson, then himself. Then he’ll shower and drive to campus. Depending on the day, Jalen either has two morning classes with a lift between or just one class and a lift. He’ll grab lunch, get individual work in before practice, join teammates for film review, practice, go through treatment and then scarf down a team meal. That usually gets him home by 5 or 6 p.m.

“Then I’m grabbing (Kyson) right away,” he said.

Weather permitting, Jalen, Hyler, Kyson and their two dogs try to take a walk to get air. Kyson eats dinner and takes a bath before hitting the sheets at 8-8:15 p.m. Jalen and Hyler, who met at Florida State and have been together for three years, try to squeeze in a television show before dozing off themselves.

“Then doing it all over again,” he said.

Jalen has support from Gonzaga’s coaches and a teammate who can relate to what he’s going through. Guard Adam Miller has a 2-year-old daughter and provides tips and input where he can. Miller’s also offered to donate clothes and toys his daughter can no longer use.

“Most of the time we’re out here and we’re the lifeline,” Miller said. “It’s not like we’ve got our grandparents, our mothers, all that. Just being there for him, him being there for me and our kids are always around each other. Just having conversations about little stuff like that. Super, super cool, super, super dope.”

There isn’t a single or simple way to quantify what Jalen does for Gonzaga on the court.

The most accurate picture probably came during a three-game stretch when the Zags were missing bigs Graham Ike and Braden Huff to injuries. At times during a Jan. 17 game at Seattle U, Jalen navigated guarding 7-foot Redhawks center Austin Maurer, bringing the ball up the floor as a secondary point guard and fulfilling his normal role of defending two or three positions and making plays at the “4.”

“One game he gets ball screens, then he’ll go multiple without it,” assistant Brian Michaelson said. “His willingness and joy to do whatever it takes to help this team has been one of my favorite parts of this group. We’ve had a lot of selfless dudes over the years, but his selflessness is just incredible; it’s a joy to be around.”

Consider these Jalen stat lines as a representation of the various roles he’s filled:

• 9 pts. (3-6 FG), 9 reb., 3 ast., 3 stl. in a 90-63 win against Creighton.

• 22 pts. (9-14 FG), 14 ast., 5 ast., 3 stl in a 99-93 win at San Diego.

• 0 pts. (0-0 FG), 6 reb., 5 stl., in an 80-72 overtime win against Seattle U.

The only through line from the three games? A Gonzaga victory.

Jalen’s career 3-point percentage hovers around 30%, but if he takes a 3-point shot this week at the NCAA Tournament, it will be his first in a Gonzaga uniform.

Michaelson thought the senior was finally going to pull from deep during a WCC game late in the season. The opponent gave him a quality look, but Jalen declined the shot and moved the ball instead. The possession still resulted in a basket.

“If he toes one up, I actually feel good about it,” Michaelson said.

In Jalen’s mind, the Zags can always get to something better.

“Jalen is the best I’ve ever seen about not worrying about making 3s or anything and just still playing and elevating his game,” Few said. “In the past, we’ve had some guys really taken aback by people playing off them.”

Jalen’s free-throw routine might be the most unorthodox in the sport, but he’s still making foul shots at a higher percentage (65.1%) than three other players in Gonzaga’s rotation.

He was named to the “All-Glue” team recently compiled by HoopsHQ’s Seth Davis – a fitting honor for someone who kept the Zags tethered when two major injuries threatened to pull them apart.

Jalen recently overcame a rare setback of his own. Early in Gonzaga’s Feb. 4 loss at Portland, he crashed the glass for a rebound, catching a hard knee to his thigh – a routine basketball play that could’ve changed the course of the season.

Jalen pushed to stay on the court the next five games. Possibly too hard in hindsight, but he’d never missed a game in three college seasons, reasoning it’s “the competitor in me.”

“That’s ‘J Warrior’ man,” Ike said. “I know it’s ‘J War,’ but ‘J Warrior.’ He’s our spiritual leader, he’s such a great leader for us in all facets, on the floor, off the floor. … I’m so appreciative of J War and just the things he taught me this year. I can’t thank him enough; I’m so grateful for him.”

The dreaded “DNP” finally came at home against Portland, then again at Saint Mary’s. Jalen watched the Zags go 1-1 in his absence, but he was starting to make headway in his recovery, using a hyperbaric chamber to flush out his body. Doctors also drained additional blood from his leg “to free everything up.”

“A lot of guys probably would’ve been done,” Michaelson said. “Done for the year.”

Jalen saw the finish line in the distance. His last stretch of games as a college player. The opportunity to play in his first NCAA Tournament. The chance for Kyson to watch him on the March Madness stage. Pictures they’d be able to keep for a lifetime.

Jalen may not have been able to dictate every aspect of his winding college basketball journey, but now he’ll have a chance to end it on his own terms.

“He’s seen the trials and tribulations, he played on teams where people were so selfish,” Jason said. “When he saw Gonzaga and was in the locker room, he was like, ‘Oh I’m in heaven. This is where I want to be. Hands down.’ ”