2006 Young: wide open

Along with talented 2006 teammates Andre Thorton and Brandon Powell, Thaddeus Young, the No. 7 ranked player in the class of 2006, is working hard as Mitchell High School prepares for the rugged competition of Memphis, Tenn., basketball. Young, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound small forward, has practically every school in the country recruiting him.

“Just about everyone is recruiting me but Duke,” said Young. “Right now I am just looking and listening and gathering information about the schools recruiting me.”

Taking a page out of fellow 2005 Memphis prospect J.P. Prince, Young was reluctant to tip his hand by naming any favorites. Nor did he seem concerned about a lack of attention by Duke or any other particular school.

“I would just like any school that is interested in me to recruit me,” he said.

Young did run down a list of the schools that have offered him and are recruiting him, including Memphis, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Kansas, Oklahoma State, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, Connecticut and Indiana.

Wanting to sign early next fall, Young did say he would more than likely take some visits after the season and begin to narrow his lengthy list.

“I should be narrowing it down, so I can sign next fall,” he said. “I will take some visits this spring, but off the top of my head, I couldn’t say who I want to visit.”

With per game averages of 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks as a sophomore, Young is planning on doing a little bit of everything again for Mitchell.

“I will primarily play center this year,” he said. “But I will also play a lot of ‘slash, everything,’” he said. “In college I will play small forward.”

As versatile and talented as Young is, he still realizes there is a lot of room for improvement. At the moment, the long lefty is working on improving his right hand and his shooting.

When Young does begin to sort through his choices, he will be looking at various characteristics of those schools.

“I want to major in Business Management, so I want to go to a school with a good Business Management program,” said Young, who is an outstanding student. “I do not want to go to just a white or just a black school either. I want to go somewhere with all races and lots of diversity. The basketball program has to be good also and play an up tempo style.”