Nick Young

Nick Young (born June 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who current plays for the Washington Wizards at both the shooting guard and small forward positions.

College career

Young played for the University of Southern California from 2004 to 2007 and was first team all-Pac-10 in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Young led the fifth-seeded Trojans to a berth in the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to the one-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, 74-64. Along the way, Young led USC to a first-round win against Arkansas. In the 2nd round, Young led the team over the Texas Longhorns in a 87-68 rout of the team featuring the nation's top player, Kevin Durant.

Following his junior season, he announced on April 15 2007 to The Los Angeles Times that Young would forgo his senior year to turn professional and enter the 2007 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Washington Wizards.

High school career

Young averaged 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a 2004 senior at Cleveland High in Reseda, Calif., earning 2004 CIF L.A. City Section, Los Angeles Times All-City and San Fernando Valley first team honors. He shot 57.3% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range (52-of-111), had 48 steals and 41 blocks as Cleveland finished 25-4. Young was tabbed the seventh-best player in the country by HoopScoop and listed by prep basketball guru Frank Burlison as among the Top 50 recruits in 2004. He once scored 56 points in one game and had 23 rebounds in another. He earned CIF L.A. City Section first team honors in 2003 and was included in a list of Top Seniors by Athlon heading into 2004.

NBA career

Nick Young was selected 16th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Trivia

Young flunked out of two high schools before finally being admitted to a third (Cleveland High School) out in suburban Reseda, California.^[1]

In 1991, Young's oldest brother, Charles Jr., was murdered in a park shooting.

He honed his skills at Robertson Park, in West Los Angeles.

Nick Young is also the main subject of a documentary titled Second Chance Season, in which his exploits, short-comings, and success are reviewed by the biopic's director, Daniel H. Forer.^[2]

Second Chance Season is a story of loss, redemption and basketball, the film follows 17-year-old Nick Young and his family through a pivotal year in their lives. One of the nation's top college basketball recruits, Young is struggling to graduate from Los Angeles' Cleveland High and raise his SAT scores to acceptable levels. At home, his family is still reeling from the gang murder of Young's older brother, killed 13 years earlier. Despite all this, Young carries on, facing each challenge with the same qualities he displays on the court — grace, perseverance and an indomitable spirit.