Former Lion joins Jayhawks

Former Lion Kevin Young, who had been rumored to be heading to San Diego State next season, is now planning on joining the Kansas University Jayhawks, as revealed by numerous reports today. Young went to community college last year after playing two seasons for the Lions, in which he averaged about 10 points and six rebounds per game.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to playing at Kansas,” Young said to kusports.com. “They take a lot of pride in basketball and academics here and I’m ready for that challenge. I’m looking forward to working with my teammates and coaches and becoming a Jayhawk.”

Young was a fan favorite at LMU, and his departure came as a surprise to many (read what I thought about it at the time, here).

“I thought we definitely needed a playmaker and we were able, at a late date, to fall into Kevin and we couldn’t be happier,” KU coach Bill Self said in the team's press release. “He’s 6-8, thin and can play multiple positions. He reminds me a lot of Julian Wright — very bouncy, very athletic. He will most definitely be an impact player for us next season.”

While at LMU, Young broke the school record for rebounds, steals and blocks by a freshman. 

So long, Kevin Young

As reported in the Loyolan on Monday, sophomore men’s basketball forward Kevin Young has decided to leave the Lions after only his second season. Young averaged over 30 minutes a game this season, and was LMU’s fourth-highest scorer.
There are always many questions asked when a player requests a release from a team, and fans often want to know why it has happened and what the player’s motivation for doing this was. Young, however, told the Loyolan this past weekend that he prefers not to address these questions, and it’s important that we respect that. As a Lions fan, I wholeheartedly wish Kevin the best, and hope that this decision is not one he lives to regret. The men’s basketball team is going places, and I am disappointed that he won’t be a part of that after having stuck around for the hardest parts.
However, Young has made his decision, and now the team must move on without him. The Lions will miss Young’s high-energy and slam dunking abilities, there is no doubt about that, but in terms of continuing to build a winning program that can compete for a West Coast Conference title, the team will be fine.
Young started almost every game the past two seasons, but with people returning back to full health next season, I don’t think that would have continued to be the case. Freshman Edgar Garibay returns from a season-ending injury and should start in the center position. He showed a lot of promise before his injury this season, and it is nearly impossible to imagine Good leaving his 6-foot-10-inch frame on the bench for the start of games. With Garibay secure in the five spot, it pushes redshirt freshman Ashley Hamilton down to the power forward position. Hamilton had a breakout year for the Lions, and he has showed that he can be one of the most dominant players in the league in the next few seasons. Moving him down to the four spot should only improve his game.
And with those moves, it seems obvious that sophomore leading-scorer Drew Viney take over the small forward spot. Viney is an incredible shooter, as well as all-around player, and a move up to thethree spot actually puts him back in his more natural position.
However, with those three starting spots filled, and junior Vernon Teel and sophomore Jarred DuBois having cemented themselves as two of the best guards in the league, it seems that Young would have been moved to the bench for the first time in his career. It is impossible not to conclude that this may have had something to do with his recent decision.
That is not to say, however, that Young would not have been a big contributor next season, or that he will not be missed. I believe that Young would have been an important sixth man for the Lions, and would have been the first one off the bench in the majority of games.
Teel and DuBois play a significant number of minutes, and because of that, it is usually a big man who Good gives a rest to first. Young would have been a capable replacement who would have brought a spark off the bench that Lions fans haven’t seen from anyone else on the team. While he may not have gotten the 30- plus minutes a game he got this year, I definitely could have seen him averaging close to 20.
The worst part for us Lions fans, however, will be the fact that Kevin Young was probably the most popular basketball player on campus. Viney or Teel may stuff the box score best, but because of his dunking, personality and yes, hair, Young was one of the most recognizable students on the bluff. There is no doubt that fans will miss his presence on the court next season tremendously.
The coaching staff, while they will miss Young, has made sure that the team will move on successfully without him. As reported in the Loyolan last Thursday, the Lions received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-4-inch recruit Ayodeji Egbeyemi, who signed his National Letter of Intent yesterday. Egbeyemi will likely receive a scholarship that was made available by the departure of Young.
The decision Young made may not be one I understand, but the bottom line is that the team’s play should not be drastically affected by it. On the other hand, I hope Young is able to find somewhere to play big minutes next season, as I will continue to follow his career wherever he ends up. Thanks for a solid two seasons, KY.