Mike Young is coming home.
The 6-foot-9 Pittsburgh native decided Friday night and then announced on Saturday that he had chosen Pitt over Florida. The St. Benedict’s Prep power forward made the announcement during a family event while at home. He also considered Memphis, Xavier and Miami.
“Pittsburgh was the best fit for me,” he told SNY.tv by text. “[Assistant] coach [Brandin] Knight is way more than a coach to me. We have a relationship outside of basketball. Me and Coach [Jamie] Dixon had great conversations and he called my mom the most.”
A strong, athletic combo forward who runs with the Playaz Basketball Club, Young averaged 15.9 points and 11.6 rebounds last season for a 25-3 Hudson (N.J.) Catholic team. He then opted to transfer to St. Benedict’s, where he will be part of a loaded team that includes 2013 guard Tyler Ennis and 2015 guard Isaiah Briscoe.
Young had initially planned on committing in November, but opted to pull the trigger now to get the recruiting process over with.
“Michael Young is a player with tremendous skill level for his size at 6-9, which gives him versatility to play many different positions,” St. Benedict’s coach Mark Taylor told SNY.tv. “Michael will bring leadership and experience. He is an outright matchup problem. If they play a big man on him he will step out and play the wing position. And if they put a guard on him, he will slide to the post.”
Now that his decision is done, Young says he’s happy it’s over.
“I’m glad,” he said. “Too much stress for me. Very excited though. The goal is a national championship [at St. Benedict’s], nothing less.”
