Kenneth Harry Warzynski (June 30, 1948 – January 18, 2019) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played for

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

and was a second round draft pick (32nd pick overall) of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in the

1970 NBA draft The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 NBA season, 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amate ...

Early life

Warzynski was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, on June 30, 1948, the son of Harry and Florence Warzynski. He was raised with his sister Arlene and attended

Gordon Technical High School DePaul College Prep is a Vincentian Catholic college preparatory high school founded in 2014 in Chicago. The founders were a group of administrators and trustees of DePaul University and other individuals committed to Catholic education. As pa ...

in Chicago. Warzynski graduated from Gordon Technical in 1966, where he played basketball and also varsity baseball.

College career

A 6'7" forward, Warzynski played college basketball for

under

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Coach

Ray Meyer Raymond Joseph Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois. He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record. Care ...

. As a Senior in 1969–1970, Warzynski averaged 19.7 points and 15.2 rebounds, as DePaul finished 12–13. Warzynski had 28 rebounds against

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

on Jan. 3, 1970, still the DePaul single-game team record. Warzynski ranks fourth on DePaul's all-time rebounding list and his career rebounding average of 11.6 is currently third all time. His 15.2 rebounding average in 1969–1970 is second all-time at DePaul. Overall, Warzynski averaged 16.0 points and 11.6 rebounds in his 75 career games at DePaul, with 1,203 total points and 890 total rebounds.

Professional career

The

selected Warzynski in the second round of the

. The Pistons had drafted

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). L ...

with the #1 pick in the 1970 Draft. Warzynski never played in the NBA. The

Denver Rockets Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

also selected Warzynski in the 11th round of the 1970

ABA Draft The American Basketball Association draft was held from 1967 to 1975. Generally speaking, the ABA's drafts were considered a lot looser in terms of structure for teams to make their player choices when compared to the rivaling NBA. So much so, in f ...

. In 1970–1971, Warzynski played for the Rockford Royals of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

, along with former DePaul teammate Al Zetsche.

Honors

* Warzynski was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. His coach, Ray Meyer, was a fellow inductee in the ceremony on November 20, 1987.

Personal

Warzynski had a career in real estate in South Carolina. Warzynski died on January 18, 2019. He was survived by his four children, Julie, JoAnne, Chris and Kevin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warzynski, Ken 1948 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players Denver Rockets draft picks Detroit Pistons draft picks Power forwards