Tennessee Offers 2006 Prospect

2006 prospect Thaddeus Young already has an offer on the table from Tennessee. This one offer is just the beginning for the 6-foot-8, 200-pound Young from Mitchell High School in Memphis, Tennessee as the word spreads about this versatile small forward.

“A friend of George Raveling told him he had to come watch Thaddeus play and that if he was not the best player in this class, he was definitely in the top five,” said Mitchell head coach Jerry Johnson. “So George Raveling came over Tuesday night in Florida to watch him. After the game George said he was definitely at that level.”

“Right now we have Nike, Adidas, and Reebok trying to sponsor our team just because we have Thaddeus.”

Tennessee is one school that knows all about Young and is making an early push to get him.

“[Assistant] Coach Benson from Tennessee has come to watch him, and he said they would love to have him right now,” said Coach Johnson. “Mike Davis [Indiana head coach] saw him in AAU and loved him.”

Young, who has a 4.0 GPA, was selected to the All-State team as a freshman after his Mitchell team made it to the state semis and he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds on the year. This year he is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Young, whose 7-foot father Felton Young played for the old Buffalo Braves in the NBA, is still growing.

“He will probably play the 3 or 4 in college,” said Coach Johnson. “It just depends on how much he grows. I think he will get to 6'10 or 6'11. His father works with him on his individual game, and I work on his team game.”

Coach Johnson had this description of his game.

“He can play point guard to center, all five positions. He can shoot the trey, handles the ball, and has a jump hook inside. He is just 15 years old, so he does make some bad decisions like trying to dribble through the double team.... He is very versatile and coachable. He is aggressive and he rebounds. He is the total package.”

Young is not the only 15 year old starting for Coach Johnson’s team. Four sophomores and one junior complete the starting lineup for the 12-9 Mitchell squad.

Andre Thorton is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound power forward who is receiving interest from Tennessee, Stanford, and Florida State. He also is a 4.0 student.

Brandon Powell, a good student as well, is receiving interest from Tennessee and Stanford. He is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound combo guard.