Young Gun
October 24, 2003 10:11 AM | General
October 24, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University freshman forward Frank Young says he grew up an ACC basketball fan in Tallahassee, Fla.
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| Freshman Frank Young decied to play in the Big East despite growing up an ACC fan. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
So of course when it came time to pick a place to play he chose a Big East school. Young says it was simply a matter of going where he felt most comfortable.
“I liked the college atmosphere. It was fun up here,” he said.
Young was an ACC fan primarily because he grew up near the Florida State campus, “With Florida State being in my hometown I followed the ACC more,” he noted.
Even though the Seminoles recruited him along with Tulane, Florida A&M and Georgia Southern, Young said a big deciding factor for him was the fact that West Virginia runs a system that best suits his talents.
“I think I fit in pretty well because it’s a shooting system and that’s what my strength is,” he said.
John Beilein and his family-type atmosphere was also appealing to Young, who admitted to knowing next to nothing about West Virginia University before he came up on his official visit.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “So when I came up here I was surprised by a lot of things. When I saw everything and met all of the coaches I was really excited about coming here.”
Young says he’s still got a lot to learn about the Big East Conference, too.
“I knew a little bit about the Big East, but not that much. I’m still trying to learn more about it,” he said.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound freshman has caught the attention of the coaching staff during the first week of preseason practices. Young already has a Big East-type body and Mountaineer coaches believe his shooting ability and willingness to learn will ultimately make him a productive Big East player.
Young says it’s just a matter of listening, watching and learning.
“I’m real confident that I can compete with anybody in the Big East as long as I work hard and do what Coach Beilein wants me to do; I think I can do pretty well,” Young said.
A key factor in earning playing time this year will be how well Young can defend much bigger Big East forwards.
“It may be difficult at first but the only reason it will be a challenge is because I haven’t really played anybody,” Young admitted. “As far as guarding players that are bigger than me, I think as the season goes along I think I’ll get used to it.”
Young says he can play both the small forward and big guard positions, “I think I can fit in at both. I have started off more at the three but they can use me at either the two or the three,” he offered.
Frank brings an impressive list of accomplishments with him to Morgantown. He averaged 22.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a senior at Florida A&M High School. He was named the Tallahassee Democrat player of the year and was honored as the Florida Class 2A player of the year runner-up.
Young scored a career-high 37 points in a game against Pensacola.
Prep recruiting guru Bob Gibbons rated Young the nation’s 160th-best player while Hoop Scoop had Young rated No. 164. And while those ratings are virtually meaningless, it shows Beilein’s intention of targeting players in the 100-200 range in the ratings with an eye on future development.
A few years ago Maryland won a national title by recruiting players like Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter and Byron Mouton that Coach Gary Williams was able to develop over a four-year period. Dixon, Baxter and Mouton were not Parade All-American-caliber recruits.
And while it remains to be seen if Frank Young can grow into that type of player, he does fit what Beilein is looking for in a recruit.
“(Shooting) is what I bring to the table right now but as the season goes along and my career goes along I think I can bring even more things to the table,” he said.
Young says if preseason workouts are any indication, he thinks his transition to Big East basketball will be a smooth one.
“I think I’m adjusting real well. I’m just working hard and doing what Coach Beilein wants done and going 110 percent.”
After last Saturday’s first practice, Beilein says he was happy with the way Young and the three other freshmen performed.
“They made a lot of mistakes and they’re going to make a lot of mistakes but I like their attitudes,” said the coach. “I was making a lot of corrections and all I heard was, ‘Yes sirs.’ That’s good to hear. You want kids that don’t think they invented the game and we don’t profess to say that we invented the game, but we’ve all got to get on the same page.”
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