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August 4, 2012

Mike Young Leads off for 2013

Filed under: Basketball,Recruiting — Chas @ 9:19 pm

I won’t lie, once I heard Mike Young was back in Pittsburgh to announce his decision, I figured he was picking Pitt. That or he was engaging in LeBron James level trolling.

But Mike Young makes it a point to say that choosing Pitt was not about being back home (Insider subs).

Young, No. 67 overall in the 2013 class, announced his decision at a family gathering in Pittsburgh, one day before leaving to return to St. Benedict’s. Family played a significant role in his decision.

“It was a major factor,” Young said. “I love my family and we’re all very, very close. It was a Pitt decision and they all believed that they would have seen me no matter where I went. Now my mother is only 25 minutes away and my little brother and sister is right here.”

Since the eighth grade, Young’s had a relationship with former Panther and current assistant coach Brandin Knight. Young wasn’t always a Pittsburgh target; Knight was always an outlet for Young. As the relationship progressed, Dixon eventually came aboard and signed off on Young.

“The most memorable thing was Brandin being able to stick with recruiting me from eighth grade until now,” Young said. “He stuck with me even at times when he thought I wasn’t going to be a Pittsburgh player. Now I’m a player that he really wants. Coach Dixon went from calling me here and there to very often and that was the most memorable [part of the process].”

Young is now prepared to turn recruiter for his hometown Panthers. “I think the next big prospect is Jamel Artis (Baltimore/Vermont Academy) and BeeJay Anya (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha),” Young said. “They really like Josh Hart (Washington/Sidwell Friends). I think the next guy close to committing is Artis. Coach believes in players who can play together.”

Nice.

Young accumulated offers from UConn, Florida, WVU, and plenty of other high majors. At the end of the day, he always wanted to play for the Panthers.

He also had offers from Connecticut, Miami, Massachusetts, Memphis, Xavier, St. John’s, N.C. State, Seton Hall, Rutgers, West Virginia and Georgia Tech.

Young, 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, lives in McKeesport and was at Shady Side during his freshman season before playing the past two years in New Jersey at St. Benedict’s Prep and Hudson Catholic. After averaging 16 points and 13 rebounds at Hudson last season, he plans to return to St. Benedict’s this year.

“Mike is a good rebounder,” ESPN senior analyst Dave Telep said, “and what he has is a mixture of presence in the paint and on the perimeter to be a dangerous (power forward). Mike really cranked it up to the level of a top-75 guy when he became a more aggressive rebounder. I think Jamie Dixon gave him every chance to become a Pittsburgh Panther. They dangled it and let him chase it.”

So what has Young shown in the past year?

When evaluating Young over the spring and summer, he demonstrated his talent and had many strong performances for the NJ Playaz, which plays a schedule against all the best summer programs in the nation. Young is versatile, competitive and a factor on the boards and in the paint.

He always tries to make the most of a possession by finishing a break or following a teammate’s missed shot, while being a legitimate low-post scoring threat. He can spin on defenders with a quick move in the low post, face up and shoot from mid-range, which has improved from a year ago. He also does the little things that tend to go unnoticed, such as coming off and setting screens. He will help run Dixon’s offense because he knows his strengths and is comfortable playing to them.

Looking forward to seeing him in Pitt Blue and Gold in a year.





…hmmm, trending toward being a top 50 player – who says Dixon can’t recruit again? No coaching turnover this offseason and a top 10 class coming in. Bright things on the horizon fella’s – Go Pitt!

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 08.04.12 @ 9:42 pm

Now Jamie has no excuses for missing out on a Final 4. He’s starting to get some elite talent. That and a little bit of luck should propel Pitt and make us all as fans very proud. The future is looking bright. Now when is the next 4 star football player announcing? Jamie is showing you up Chryst. Are you goin to take that?

Comment by TX Panther 08.04.12 @ 9:51 pm

So Awesome!

Comment by Gordo 08.04.12 @ 10:32 pm

Sounds like he’ll fit right in. It’s a plus that he a local kid as well. If UConn, Memphis, and Florida wanted him, I imagine he can play. Brandin Knight continues to score for the Panthers, even after his jersey was retired.

Comment by Justinian 08.04.12 @ 10:36 pm

All hail Chris Doleman and Curtis Martin

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by gc 08.05.12 @ 6:32 am

I see no MAC schools listed above … what’s up with that?

Comment by wbb 08.05.12 @ 7:29 am

wbb, i suppose you wont want jamel artis, then… his other finalist is la salle

Comment by pk 08.05.12 @ 7:53 am

Top 3 Pitt players from the 70s on?

Using Dokish’s criteria I’d say:

3. Brandin Knight
2. Charles Smith
1. Billy Knight

Comment by steve1 08.05.12 @ 7:59 am

pk, I was being sarcastic … and la salle is from A10 … same conf as Xavier and UMass which are listed above.

Comment by wbb 08.05.12 @ 9:00 am

This is a nice get. Position of need and high character kid. Plays on a good AAU team and this year playing on St. B’s. Will play in some big games for sure. When he’s at Pitt, he’ll overlap with Zanna one year and probably get some playing time early at PF. I can’t find many highlights of him online, ‘cept for one where he broke the backboard but missed the dunk. If someone finds any, please post.

Comment by SilverPanther in NYC 08.05.12 @ 9:22 am

steve1
1 Billy Knight
2 Sam Clancy
3 Brandin Knight

Comment by FRANKCAN 08.05.12 @ 11:20 am

I hope Dokish does bball as well. The list was fun.1. Clancy 2. C Smith 3. S Miller

Comment by Bones 08.06.12 @ 11:38 am

Never saw Sam Clancy or Billy Knight play. So since 1980, I’d go with:

1. Brandin Knight
2. Charles Smith
3. Brian Shorter
4. DeJuan Blair
5. Jerome Lane
6. Sean Miller
7. Aaron Gray
8. Levance Fields
9. Chevy Troutman
10. Jason Matthews/darelle porter/vontego Cummings

That’s just off the top of my head. Would have to go back and look at stats. Could be talked into moving some around.

Comment by Boubacar Aw 08.06.12 @ 5:14 pm

Dokish did a best of the Big East era Pitt basketball earlier this year–> link to panthersprey.blogspot.com .

Comment by SilverPanther in NYC 08.06.12 @ 6:14 pm

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