Ohio State basketball’s fast start aided by unlikely source
Junior Kyle Young is putting up career-best numbers.
By Kyle Rowland / The Blade
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:00:00 GMT
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COLUMBUS — There’s a reason Ohio State entered the 2019-20 basketball season as a trendy Big Ten contender, and it had nothing to do with role players.
Head coach Chris Holtmann, the return of Kaleb Wesson, and an infusion of youth in the form of a ballyhooed recruiting class was the rationale for some preseason predictions of Ohio State reaching the Final Four.
After a 7-0 start, including decisive wins over Villanova and Cincinnati, the Buckeyes have climbed to No. 6 in the Associated Press top 25. On Wednesday, another résumé-boosting victory would be secured if Ohio State wins at seventh-ranked North Carolina.
But beating the Tar Heels inside the Dean E. Smith Center will take more than Holtmann, Wesson, and freshman point guard D.J. Carton. The Buckeyes will need a team effort that includes contributions from players few thought would be relied upon.
At the top of the list is Kyle Young, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound junior power forward who is Ohio State’s most improved player and was a surprising force during the month of November.
“When I was at Florida, we had a guy named Joakim Noah who was a little taller, but that's what he did,” said Stetson coach Donnie Jones after Young scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting with 10 rebounds, one block, and a steal in an 86-51 win over the Hatters.
“Those guys, they show up on the stat sheet sometimes with their rebounds and not always their points. But he brings a different toughness. He knows his role, he knows who he is. You know what you’re getting from him every night. He’s a winner, a competitor. He just impacts winning. And when you bring those kind of guys on your team, those guys give you a chance in March to go very far.”
Young has been a revelation for the Buckeyes, beginning with a 14-point, 13-rebound performance against Cincinnati on opening night. And the production wasn’t a one-off show. Young backed it up with 10 points in the very next game, eight points and seven rebounds against Villanova, his gaudy line against Stetson, and 15 points and 12 rebounds over the last three games.
Young averaged 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds as a freshman and 6.0 rebounds and 4.4 rebounds as a sophomore. In the final five games of last season, he had 14 total points and 18 rebounds. So far, 2019 is one giant career high, as Young is averaging 8.9 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting a team-high 65.8 percent from the field.
“[He’s] the same Kyle we’ve seen all summer,” Wesson said. “High energy guy that’s going to do the dirty work for you. That’s what we expect out of K.Y. And that’s what he gives us.”
There aren’t any stats Young concentrates on other than playing well and getting wins. He’s the epitome of a hustle player, giving maximum effort each night and extending his talent level with grit. A stress fracture last season slow his progression. It appears as if he’s making up for lost time.
“Effort is a big thing,” Young said. “Coach tries to preach, keep high energy. I gotta be a guy in there that’s doing those types of things, getting extra rebounds, stuff like that.”
The Massillon native picked Butler over Ohio State in the recruiting process, but followed Holtmann and assistant coach Ryan Pedon to Columbus. Young grew up in the state during the golden years of Thad Matta’s tenure, then spurned the Buckeyes when the program bottomed out. His decision to ultimately attend Ohio State came with the goal of helping to restore its winning ways.
In Holtmann’s first two seasons, Ohio State significantly overachieved, earning an NCAA tournament bids both years. Now, with Young’s help, the team is firmly in the national discussion.
“Kyle’s got one thing on his mind when he plays. And that is Ohio State winning,” Holtmann said. “That is the only thing that matters to him.”