Warwick's TJ and Tyriek Weeks will play basketball together at Rider next season.

• TJ and Tyriek Weeks are Warwick natives
• TJ is transferring from UMass
• TJ played for Pilgrim and Hendricken; Tyriek played at Pilgrim then prepped at Springfield Commonwealth

Rider will host a men’s basketball family reunion next season. 

Warwick natives TJ Weeks and Tyriek Weeks will both suit up for the Broncs in New Jersey after announcing their respective commitments Tuesday. 

TJ Weeks left Massachusetts via the transfer portal after four years and could still retain two seasons of eligibility. Tyriek Weeks spent 2022-23 in the junior college ranks at Miami Dade and will have three years of eligibility. 

“Let’s do this,” Tyriek Weeks said on his personal Twitter page. 

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TJ Weeks prepped at Pilgrim, Bishop Hendricken and Woodstock Academy before debuting with the Minutemen in 2019-20. He started in 59 of his 85 appearances at UMass, averaging 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds. Weeks shot 36.5% from 3-point range and committed just 1.0 turnovers per game. 

Weeks poured in 23 points in a debut victory over UMass-Lowell in 2019-20 and went a perfect 6-for-6 from deep in a win against Rider. He missed the last 21 games due to a sports hernia but returned to a primary role in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Weeks started 29 of 30 games last season for the Minutemen, averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 26.7 minutes. 

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Weeks netted a career-high 30 points in front of friends and family at the Ryan Center in 2021-22. That came in a road victory against the University of Rhode Island. The 6-foot-4 left-hander went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc and flashed the skill that earned him early offers from Binghamton, Hartford and UMass.

This will be a blanket COVID-19 year for Weeks as offered by the NCAA. He could apply for a medical waiver at a later date in an attempt to recoup his curtailed 2019-20 season. That possibility could mean multiple years with his brother and further time to help elevate what was a 16-14 program last season.

Tyriek Weeks made the most of his two years after leaving the Patriots. He prepped with Springfield Commonwealth and was productive throughout 2022-23 with the Sharks. Weeks averaged a team-high 14.3 points, ranked second with 7.4 rebounds and shot 40.1% from 3-point range. 

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Weeks reached double digits in each of his first 18 games and 24 of his 30 overall. He cracked 20 points four times and collected eight double-doubles. Weeks netted a season-high 27 points against Coahoma Community College, knocked down six 3-pointers against East Mississippi and pulled down 13 rebounds twice. 

Weeks was primarily a frontcourt player in the Interscholastic League thanks to his strong 6-foot-6 frame. He’s developed a reliable perimeter game and caught the attention of college recruiters as a result. Weeks claimed early offers from Towson, UMass and Montana State before selecting the Broncs. 

TJ Weeks is the second Rhode Island native to leave Amherst this offseason. Dyondre Dominguez committed to Arkansas State after entering the transfer portal. Dominguez started his career at Tolman and joined Weeks in helping first-year coach Frank Martin post a 15-16 overall record in his Minutemen debut. 

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Basketball runs in the blood for the Weeks brothers. Their father, Tyrone, was a four-year NCAA Tournament participant and 1,000-point career scorer at UMass from 1994-98. He was later on coaching staffs with St. Bonaventure, the Rams, Memphis and Marist. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com  

On Twitter: @BillKoch25