A bond for life: Why Jeriah Warren believed in Kelly Rae Finley and made Florida women's basketball her home

In a windowless room on the ground floor of the O’Connell Center, Kelly Rae Finley struggled to contain her emotions.

She sat for a press conference following Florida women’s basketball’s loss to Oklahoma. It was senior night, and once the coach was asked about Jeriah Warren, the tears began to flow.

For four years, a bond between Finley and Warren helped define the Gators.

It’s a connection between two women who walked into the O’Connell Center together in 2021. A player who never stopped believing in a coach through trials and tribulations.

Thursday evening, Warren will take the O’Dome floor for likely the final time as UF hosts Northern Iowa in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Inviational Tournament (WBIT). Thursday’s showdown caps off a remarkable senior season and collegiate career for the Lake Charles, Louisiana, native – one that was already iconic even before coming to Gainesville.

A Lake Charles legend

A near entire story could be done on what Warren accomplished on the court in Lake Charles. At LaGrange High School, Warren led the Gators to back-to-back state championships. Each year, she was the LHSAA most outstanding player. Gatorade named her its 2021 Louisiana Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

“In Lake Charles, she is a celebrity,” Priscilla Warren, Jeriah’s mother, said. “I can’t go nowhere without hearing, ‘How’s Jeriah?’”

That reputation didn’t just arise from her performance on the basketball court. In October 2020, Hurricane Delta wreaked havoc on Lake Charles as a Category 2 storm. That, combined with Hurricane Laura the year prior, caused the city to appear like “20 tornadoes came in and wiped the city.”

After the storm, Warren took it on herself to assist her city. Lake Charles gave her so much when it came to basketball, and she felt it was only fair to repay the city. She did some food drives and helped with relief efforts.

“My name will forever be attached to Lake Charles,” Warren said. “That I'm giving attention to the city, it means everything to me, because I'm born and raised there.”

A loss that changed everything

Warren’s philosophy when it comes to community service comes, back to Priscilla. She instituted an idea of giving back. Priscilla and Jeriah’s grandmother played a crucial role in Jeriah’s life, especially after her father passed away when she was 7.

The trauma of his passing caused Jeriah to tuck it away for years, yet basketball pushed her forward. Her father introduced her to basketball in kindergarten.

“I knew if he was still around, he would be pushing,” Warren said. “I always keep him in the back of my head.”

When it came time to pick a college, Warren clicked immediately with Finley.

The coach brought an energy out of Warren, who is an introvert by nature. She committed when Cameron Newbauer – Finley’s predecessor – was the coach, but by the time she arrived in Gainesville, Finley was the new person in charge.

A senior season to remember

Both coach and player were learning on the job. Finley instituted a players-first mentality, and success came quickly. The Gators earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Warren played minimally that first year – seven minutes a game.

Her playing time increased year by year, and Finley allowed slow growth – on Warren’s timeline. Yet, heading into this season, a lot more needed to come from her. Leilani Correa and Aliyah Matharu were both gone, and while Finley brought in a top-flight recruiting class, they were still young compared to Warren.

As she did in Lake Charles, Warren stepped up to the challenge. She scored at least 13 points in six of her first seven games and kept numbers like that up all season.

Game winner by Jeriah Warren 🚨 pic.twitter.com/WpGdAK2LQX
— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) February 17, 2025

Everything culminated in a Sunday afternoon in February at home against Mississippi State. With the game tied at 66 and two seconds left on the clock, Warren got the pass and immediately put up a three. The ball bounced off the O’Dome rim and miraculously… into the basket.

It’s moments like that that drove Finley to tears. She knows it isn’t how a coach is supposed to act, but she can’t hide her pride in Warren. The two took a chance on each other, and four years later, the bet has paid off.

“It's the people that you share your life with that are going to give you memories, and Jeriah and I have a lot of really positive, great memories,” Finley said. “I'm forever grateful for Jeriah for betting on me and choosing me to be a college coach and sticking with me through it all.”

The Gators tip off with Northern Iowa Thursday at 7 p.m.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Florida women's basketball's Jeriah Warren had her best season in 2025

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