Forward Sam Young is playing Power Forward once more and is scoring. It all just happened to coincide with his knees finally responding to treatment for tendonitis. What also coincided with all of this is Sam Young finally being willing to talk to the media.

Young’s struggles were confounding. He didn’t speak to the media for the first six weeks of the season, turning down all interview requests. He finally took questions after the Dayton game and seemed right at home.

“I knew that my lack of play wasn’t because of my ability,” he said. “There were a lot of things going on that were setbacks for me.”

Young said his lack of production had little to do with his switch from power forward to small forward. Instead, he said the knee injury denied him the explosiveness and leaping ability that helped earn him a spot on the Big East all-rookie team last year. He also endured back pains before the Oklahoma State game.

“When my knees were hurting, I felt like my first step was slower,” he said. “It was harder to get by guys. I couldn’t jump off one leg. When I would go to the basket, I had to jump off two legs, so I would even out the weight on my legs.”

I hate to not take him completely at his word, but there still seems like there was a bit to do with the move to small forward. I’m not disputing the issues with the knees, but his position on the court and some obvious confusion at times when playing at the small forward position really indicates that he was struggling with the move more than anyone wants to admit.

I’m glad he’s back at power forward, happy and productive. He is obviously much more at ease at the spot. I still hope, though, that they continue to work with him to learn the small forward position better. The increased versatility and options are just too enticing.