Overview

The Yellow Jackets felt that they unearthed two foundations for the team when they recruited Young and guard Javaris Crittenton prior to the 2006-07 season. After just one year with the team, both players entered the 2007 NBA Draft.

Young, a freshman All-American, surprised many experts with his decision to leave the program, but after shooting nearly 50 percent from the field as a freshman, Young felt it was time to test his skills at the next level.

Young was a five-star prospect at Mitchell High School, where he was named to the McDonald's All-American first-team. He was ranked third overall among college-bound prospects nationally by Rivals.com and Lindy's prior to his senior year and sixth overall following his senior year by PrepStars.com. The three-time All-State choice was also chosen 2006 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and 2005 Class AA Mr. Basketball.

Young started playing with the varsity team in eighth grade, helping Mitchell to a 123-40 overall record in five years, and finished his prep career as the Shelby-Metro area's fifth all-time leading scorer. He led Mitchell to the Class AA state finals in 2006, averaging 26.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game as a senior.

As a junior, he earned second-team All-American honors from Street & Smith's, as he averaged 23.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 2.3 blocked shots per game. That year, he helped Mitchell to a 31-5 record and the finals of the Region 8-AA playoffs. He also played at the USA Youth Developmental Festival.

After his senior season, Young scored 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game in San Diego, and scored 11 points at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis. He poured in 28 at the Jordan Classic All-American Game in New York and earned MVP honors. He also averaged 15.4 points (59.6 FG pct.) and 8.2 rebounds in the 2006 Nike Junior World Championship in Paris, France.

An outstanding student, Young compiled a 4.3 grade-point average in High School and was a member of the National Honor Society. He also ran cross country through his junior year and finished in the top 10 of every race in which he competed. Mitchell High School principal John Ware said, "I've been in Memphis City Schools for 29 years, and I've had some outstanding student-athletes, and he's the most remarkable student that I've ever been involved with."

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt knew he recruited a special player when Young joined his program. Not only did his small forward go on to start all 31 games, but he also scored double figures in all but six contests. A third-team Freshman All-American choice by Rivals.com, Young added All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention in 2006-07.

Young tied for the team lead a 14.4-point scoring average, hitting 47.8 percent of his shots from the field (177 of 370), making 39 of 93 3-point shots (41.9 percent) and 52 of 70 free throws (74.3 percent) for 445 points. He grabbed 151 rebounds (4.9 rpg), with 72 offensive boards. He dished out 63 assists and had 40 steals with 12 blocked shots. He was called for 61 fouls and turned the ball over 67 times while averaging 29.6 minutes of action per game. He also produced four double-doubles and scored at least 20 points in six games.

Young began his Tech career in explosive fashion, as he averaged 12.3 points and six rebounds in the Maui Classic. He shot 40.6 percent from the floor and 2 of 6 from 3-point range, pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked two shots while scoring 13 points against Purdue. He made the play of the game against North Carolina State early in Tech's 18-0 second-half run, when he saved an errant pass going out of bounds in front of the Wolfpack bench and flipped it half the length of the court to Crittenton breaking to the basket for a layup.

A knee injury (tendinitis) forced Young to miss most of the Miami game and sit out vs. Penn State in December. He returned to put up 19 points with 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards in the Vanderbilt clash, following with 24 points and ten more rebounds two games later vs. Georgia. In January, he lit up North Carolina for 22 points and 10 of 16 shooting from the field and added 21 points with seven rebounds at Maryland.

Young played very well over Tech's five games prior to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 19.4 points and five rebounds while hitting 50 percent of his field goals and 50 percent of his 3-pointers. He scored a career-high 30 points, 23 of them after halftime, in Tech's double-OT loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament, and 25 against North Carolina in March. His season came to an end on a sour note in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as he hit on just 3 of 12 field goals and scored eight points vs. Nevada-Las Vegas.

In April, Young entered his name into the 2007 NBA draft, but chose to not retain an agent. Head coach Paul Hewitt announced: "Thaddeus will enter the draft but not retain an agent, primarily to get more-detailed information from NBA personnel regarding his status."

"I'm enjoying my experience at Georgia Tech, both with the basketball program and in school," Young said. "Right now, my focus is on finishing out this semester and then gathering more information from the NBA people."

He finished the semester with a 4.0 grade-point average.

Scouting Report

Positives: Has a tall, lanky frame, but can carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk without it affecting his explosiveness and fluid running stride...Left-handed shooter with very good outside range...Does a nice job of creating shots for himself off the dribble and has developed into a physical defender, using his body well to pressure and his arm length to generate steals...Still needs to learn how to draw contact better to get to the free-throw line, but has a smooth release and high arc...Has a very advanced offensive game for a player of his age and shows great court vision and efficient passing skills...For a player of his size, he is a decent ball handler who has the speed and passing ability to bring the ball up the court...Has a consistent jump shot with good range to sink the 3-pointer (41.9 percent)...With added bulk, combined with his 7'2" wing span, Young could develop into a solid shot blocker and rebounder from the small forward position...Reminds scouts of Boston's Paul Pierce in the way he executes a nice spin move to sink his left-handed jumper and for his quickness, length and excellent elevation on his shots...Attacks the rim with a purpose and shows good strength defending on the perimeter...His long arms make him a natural to shoot from the 3-point range...His long legs allow him to take big strides to the basket and his flexibility then comes into play, as he will execute a scoop shot on a reverse spin move...The thing you see on film is his ability to come off screens or spot up with consistency...His left-handed shot makes it tough to defend him when he gets under the rim...When he sets his feet properly, Young has good success shooting behind the arc...Has the range and quickness to defend vs. the smaller guards and does a very good job of taking his man off the dribble...Has had good success vs. the smaller defenders, showing the ability to take them in the post...Still a work in progress handling the ball with his right hand, but can deliver and effective floater or jump shot from his left...You would like to see him develop a stronger inside game, but when he gets in a rhythm, he is capable of pulling up and firing from mid-range with good consistency (gets a little sloppy when pressured on the perimeter though)...Has developed into a solid offensive rebounder, doing a nice job of timing his leaps to the rim and also shows efficiency on putbacks...Has natural hand strength to secure the ball off the boards and has a strong charge cutting to the basket, as his court vision allows him to quickly find the open lanes.

Negatives: Needs to add more bulk to his frame, as he will struggle vs. the more physical forwards working in the paint at the next level...Must do a better job of drawing contact on drives to the basket...Generally gets good arc on his jumpers, but when pressured, his release point tends to get low...Very good outside shooter, but whether by design or a lack of confidence, he doesn't put up the long jumpers as much as he should...Slashes to the basket well, but needs to finish better in traffic when attacking the glass...Very effective going to his left, but struggles some when going right...Has made good strides handling the ball, but puts it on the floor too often and will get out of control driving to the basket at times...When he gets pushed around inside, he will revert to settling for long-range jumpers, but needs to set his feet better when operating on the perimeter...For a player with his size and length, he needs to penetrate more often...Must speed up his shot process, as he takes too long getting the ball off...Also must improve his body control, as he gets his into some herky-jerky motion when shooting off the dribble (has a poor release)...Defenses can force the turnover more often when Young has the ball in his right hand and lacks strength on that side.

Compares To: PAUL PIERCE, Boston. Young's offensive game is NBA-ready. He is still weak using his right-hand at times and must improve his overall strength, as he does get pushed around by more physical forwards. However, he is a tenacious defender with the speed to handle guards and gets very good elevation over the smaller opponents with his mid-range shot. He needs to develop a stronger inside game, as he bounces out too often and his perimeter shooting is a thing he still lacks confidence in. Even with added bulk, he is still going to be a small forward, but he is still too raw in his overall game to contribute more than a few minutes here and there on offense at the NBA level. In time, he could be a viable offensive option, but he still needs to mature. His court vision and intelligence, along with his left-handed shot, will get him serious looks later in the first round.

High School

Attended Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Jerry Johnson...Rivals.com five-star prospect and a member of the McDonald's All-American first-team, adding second-team accolades from Parade...Ranked third overall nationally by Rivals.com and Lindy's prior to his senior year and sixth overall following his senior year by PrepStars.com...The three-time All-State choice was also chosen 2006 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and 2005 Class AA Mr. Basketball...Began playing with the varsity team in eighth grade, helping Mitchell to a 123-40 overall record in five years, and finished his prep career as the Shelby-Metro area's fifth all-time leading scorer...Led Mitchell to the Class AA state finals in 2006, averaging 26.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game as a senior...Scored 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game in San Diego, and scored 11 points at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis...Poured in 28 at the Jordan Classic All-American Game in New York and earned MVP honors...Averaged 15.4 points (59.6 FG pct.) and 8.2 rebounds in the 2006 Nike Junior World Championship in Paris, France...As a junior, he earned second-team All-American honors from Street & Smith's, as he averaged 23.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 2.3 blocked shots per game...That year, he helped Mitchell to a 31-5 record and the finals of the Region 8-AA playoffs...Also played at the USA Youth Developmental Festival...Compiled a 4.3 grade point average and was a member of the National Honor Society...Ran cross country through his junior year and finished in the top ten of every race in which he competed.

Personal

Management major, attaining a 4.0 grade-point average...Son of Lula Hall and Felton Young...Father played basketball at Jacksonville University (1976-78) and was drafted by the NBA's Buffalo Braves in 1978...Born Thaddeus Charles Young on 6/21/88 in New Orleans, Louisiana...Resides in Memphis, Tennessee.

Copyright (C) 2007 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.