Hot Prospect: Sam Young

Posted by admin on May 31, 2009

Pittsburgh ● Senior ● Forward ● 6-6 ● 220 ● 6/1/85
19.2 ppg ● 6.3 rpg ● 1.1 apg (2008-09)

Highlights: School record-holder with 143 career games played… Played in all 143 consecutive games with starts in each of the last 73 contests… Scored over 30 points in three contests, 20 points in 32 career games and in double figures in 97 career contests… 10 career double-doubles… Concluded career ranked as the school’s No. 4 overall scorer (1,884 points)… Became the 35th player in school history to score over 1,000 career points in 2007-08… Reached double figure scoring in 78 of his last 83 games played… One of three seniors who comprise the all-time winningest senior class in school history (112 career wins).

2008-09 (Senior): Associated Press Third Team All-America selection… Wooden All-America Team selection, one of 10 players nationally named to the squad… Sports Illustrated Second Team All-America selection… The Sporting News Third Team All-America selection… CollegeHoop.net Mid-season Second Team All-America selection… East Regional All-Tournament Team selection… Preseason All-America selection by Sports Illustrated, College Insider.com, Blue Ribbon, CollegeHoops.net and honorable mention Associated Press honors… Wooden and Naismith All-America finalist… All-Big East First Team selection… Became just the fourth player in school history to earn two Big East First Team honors… USBWA All-District 2 Team selection… NABC All-District 5 Second Team pick… Preseason All-Big East First Team selection… One of 10 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award… Broke his own single season scoring record with 690 points as a senior… Scored over 30 points in three games, 20 points in 15 games on year and reached double figure scoring in 34 games on year… Four double-doubles on year… Two-time Big East Player of the Week… Averaged 23.3 points (33-63 FG), hit 48.0 percent (12-25) of his 3-point attempts, grabbed 7.8 rebounds in Pitt’s four NCAA Tournament contests.

He set the school’s career NCAA Tournament scoring record (177 points in 11 career games)… Scored a game-high 28 points (10-17 FG), hit 3-7 3-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds in 38 minutes of NCAA Regional Final vs. Villanova, 3/28… Finished with 19 points (7-16 FG) in 40 minutes of action in NCAA Tournament Regional semifinal vs. Xavier, 3/26… Scored 32 points (12-20 FG), hit 4-10 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds in 40 minutes in NCAA Tournament Second Round vs. Oklahoma State, 3/22… His 32 points ranked as the second-highest individual NCAA Tournament scoring performance in school history. He also set the school record for most career points scored in the NCAA Tournament… Registered his 10th career double-double and fourth of the year with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds (all defensive) in NCAA Tournament vs. East Tennessee State, 3/20… Named Big East Player of the Week for the third time in his career on March 8 after he averaged 24.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in wins over No. 1 UConn and No. 13 Marquette… Named Big East Player of the Week after averaging 22.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on the week (Jan. 26)… Scored a game-high 31 points (13-23) and grabbed 10 rebounds for his ninth career double-double vs. Connecticut, 3/7.

2007-08 (Junior): Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection… Wooden Award finalist…Naismith Award finalist… Named to the USBWA All-District 1 Team… Selected to the NABC All-District 2 First Team… Big East Most Improved Player Award recipient… Became the fifth Pitt player in the last nine years to win Big East Most Improved Player Award honors… All-Big East First Team selection, becoming just the seventh player in school history to earn such an honor… Ranked among Big East Conference leaders in scoring (3rd), field goal percentage (10th), offensive rebounding (14th) and minutes played (18th)… Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award winner after averaging 20.0 points (31-63 FG), 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in four games. Ended the tournament just one point shy of the Big East Tournament scoring record (80 points)… Earned Pitt’s Most Valuable Player Award at team banquet… Set the school’s single season records for scoring (668 points) and double figure scoring games (36)… Started all 37 contests at power forward… Four double-doubles on year… Scored over 20 points in 15 games on year… Reached double figure scoring in 36 of Pitt’s 37 games and double figure rebounding in four contests.

2006-07 (Sophomore): Played in all 37 games… Earned Most Improved Player Award at team banquet… Reached double figures in 16 games on year including eight of the season’s last 11 contests…  Averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in Pitt’s three NCAA Tournament games… Scored a team-high 15 points (4-9 FG), hit 7-12 free throws in NCAA First Round vs. VCU, 3/17… Averaged 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game over three Big East Championship games.

2005-06 (Freshman): Named to the Big East All-Rookie Team…Played in all 33 games with three starts… Ranked second on team in field goal percentage (.521, 98-188), third in rebounding (4.4 rpg.) and averaged 7.9 points per game… Reached double figure scoring in 12 games on year… Scored 12 points (5-7 FG) off the bench in NCAA Tournament First Round vs. Kent State, 3/17… Started in three of Pitt’s four Big East Tournament games… Notched second career double-double with 14 points (7-8 FG) and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of first career start in Big East Quarterfinal vs. West Virginia, 3/9… Earned Big East Rookie of the Week Award for the week of Dec. 26, 2005 after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 63.2 percent from the floor (12-19).

Is he Utah Jazz material?

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