Young Improves the Old-Fashioned Way

Only a few weeks ago, freshman Ray Young was buried far down the Bruin depth chart, the forgotten man from a recruiting class that included Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso, JaRon Rush and Matt Barnes.

On UCLA’s recent trip to the Puerto Rico Shootout, the 6-foot-3 guard played sparingly in games against nationally ranked Maryland and Kentucky, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds. He didn’t play against San Francisco.

But since the team’s return, Young’s fortunes have improved dramatically. He played 13 minutes in a blowout victory over Delaware State, finishing with nine points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. In a much tighter game against No. 19 Oklahoma State, he played only six minutes but had five points, three rebounds and a steal.

“He’s very productive without a lot of minutes,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “He has a small window of opportunity and yet he’s making things happen.”

Young is accustomed to putting up big numbers, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds as a senior at St. Joseph Notre Dame High in Alameda, Calif., where he was a McDonald’s All-American and one of the top-rated shooting guards in the nation. Lavin said he simply needed time to adapt to the college game, the hard practices and hours of physical conditioning, the sheer time spent concentrating on basketball.

“A lot of kids, as freshmen, might have gotten their heads down,” Lavin said. “To his credit, he just kept working.”