Josh Warren doesn’t look to be the center of attention, but he does realize why so many eyes are upon him.

Warren, a 24-year-old junior center for the Troy Trojan basketball team, stands 6’9” tall and has nearly two dozen tattoos. The tattoos are the first thing fans notice, but it isn’t the only characteristic that differentiates Warren from most other basketball players.

As fans size up Warren, they will notice his unusual foot wear. Instead of sporting the usual Adidas supplied socks, Warren opts to show some of his unique personality with different ones. His current favorite pair of socks is a cardinal and white checker board design, that Warren said he “had to have” when he saw them.

“I’m a little sock crazy,” said Warren with a chuckle. “It’s really just started recently. I have always likes colorful things, like shirts and stuff. So I guess socks were the next step.”

Warren said that his “sock fetish” took over him, much like his admiration for tattoos. After getting his first ink and first pair, the Orlando, Florida native wanted more.

“It almost became an addiction,” said Warren. “I got one, and wanted more and more. They are like tattoos. They can help tell your personality and your story. I like my socks to be bright, different and colorful. I like being different.”

Warren said that he has an entire drawer in his dresser dedicated to socks, and recently ordered more of the internet. Warren’s roommate, teammate and friend Hunter Williams said that Warren’s collection is extensive.

“Josh has a thing for socks,” said Williams. “Wherever we go if he can find some crazy socks, he is going to buy them. I watched him spend like $30 at one store on socks. He likes them, what can you say.”

Over the last few weeks, Warren’s minutes and production have gone up. He began the season as a bench player, but at the beginning of conference play was inserted in the starting lineup and immediately made an impact.

Warren and fellow big man Ray Chambers have a friendly rivalry to see who can outwork one another at practice. Depsite being a bench player once again, Warren hasn’t dropped his head.

“When I first got here Coach Maestri wanted me to rebound, rebound, rebound,” said Warren. “I did it, and now my offense is getting better. Although I’m not in the starting rotation anymore, I know that I will be in when Ray gets tired. I have to be ready to go every day in order for this team to go where we want it.”

Although Chambers and Warren are well over 6 feet tall, they are undersized at their position. Warren said that getting used to playing against “huge guys” was a challenge.

“I’m tall but I am also skinny,” said Warren. “When we played against Mississippi State and Texas A&M, it was new. They are wide shouldered guys, and I’m like a big pencil. You have to be mentally tougher than them, and get down there and box them out.”

Warren is a junior, meaning that he will have at least one more season to sport those flash socks at Court Maestri. But when the career of the “far from plain” post player is over, he wants to be remembered as known as a hard worker.

“I try to be the hustle guy,” said Warren. “I want to be a part of helping Troy achieve a great goal. We have a great program here, and it’s time for us to shine.”