J.Y. and Colleges Await Test
Ron Bailey, Publisher
Jahmar Young, a 6'4"+, 175lb guard has interested a number of colleges with his skill set, heart, and desire to improve.
August 30, 2006 – After a stellar second half of the AAU/travel team season, Jahmar “J.Y.” Young finds himself anxiously anticipating October. He’s not alone, as a significant number of colleges and universities are waiting with him.
“He’s still waiting for his test (college entrance examination) results, and can’t take it again until October” replied Anthony Lewis, Young’s AAU/travel team coach with Baltimore, MD’s Cecil Kirk, when asked how Young was doing. Lewis, who indicated “Jahmar has been in our program since age nine or 10”, feels J.Y.’s acquisition of the requisite score will happen.
So does Jahmar himself, as he opined “I know I’m going to get it”. Part of his certainty is grounded in the palpable self confidence Young has, while it also stems from the fact he “only took it one time”, needs to improve his score only slightly, and plans to take a prep course before the October administration.
This spring/summer, after completing a year of prep school at Fitchburg, MA’s Notre Dame Prep – an experience Young labeled “different” and beneficial given the level of talent on that team – Jahmar played with an AAU/travel team other than Cecil Kirk for maybe half the season. But then, it was back to Cecil, Lewis, and home.
“Once I came back, they needed my presence and all that” recounted Young, “but it wasn’t like I came back as a savior or anything. We just got to work”.
That they did. Since Cecil Kirk didn’t have a steady interior presence this year, Lewis employed a four or five guard spread-formation offensive lineup, with J.Y. keying the action by penetrating, and either getting to the hole, or passing to an open teammate. Young’s performances in both the DC Pro Am and Pro City Summer Hoop Challenge were exemplary.
Young (far left), made the all-tourney team of this year's DC Pro-Am. His contributions were indispensable in Cecil Kirk's 94-74 victory over BABC.
Lewis believes, the 6’5”-ish, 175lb Young will be able to do much the same on the NCAA Division I level. The thirty year Baltimore coach and talent developer went on to say “He has the uncanny ability to get to the basket”.
In Lewis’ opinion, “J.Y. is a shooter-scorer”, which puts the young guy “in the category of a Juan Dixon” (a Baltimore product who also played at Cecil Kirk). To Lewis, the comparison rests on both players’ ability to “get a shot off and get to the rack”.
Jahmar acknowledges the comparison, but added another person to the mix: “Some people say Juan Dixon because of his frame (and Young’s are comparable). There was a time when I patterned by game after his. But I watch a lot of tapes of Penny Hardaway and Ray Allen. I get a lot of my finesse moves from Hardaway’s game. I do some of the same things, without the powerful dunks”.
In 'Penny-esque' fashion (he patterns his game after Penny Hardaway), Jahmar Young dropped 29 points against Positive Image this summer, in the Pro City Summer Hoop Challenge. He routinely got to the cup for scores, or dished to open teammates.
According to Young, that ability to attack the rim was developed somewhat recently. “It came as I got my growth spurt”, in which he grew from “about 5’11”” to his current height, “around 10th grade, he revealed. Prior to that, he “was a little guy who could shoot”, and avoided driving since if he “went inside, I would get my shot blocked”.
That’s not to say J.Y. thinks he’s a finished product, as he still works not only on his shot, but ball handling. If the latter improves further, he feels “nobody can stop me”.
Some of Young’s training partners are Cecil Kirk alumni Kevin “Stink” Norris, and Shawntae Rogers. Both of these former collegiate standouts are point guards, and both work with J.Y. upon returning to the Charm City, from coaching at Tallahassee Community College and playing overseas, respectively.
Lewis has no doubt Young will improve his strength in the years to come. “That will come. That will come with time” he said. Due to the training colleges provide their players, “He will not be a muscle kid, but will be bigger”.
According to Cecil’s coach, the schools interested in Young are “Providence and New Mexico” along with “some A-10’s and Colonials (CAA League)”. J.Y., maintains he has no leader, and is not enamored with big names. “I’m trying to play” at the next level he said. “And shine”.
With his tenacity, skill set, and natural leadership capacity, there is no doubt Jahmar will do just that. Check back with i95Ballerz.com for updates on Young’s recruiting situation. This proud Baltimore East Side resident – who specifically hails from the Greenmount section – is going to make some school very happy they offered him a scholarship.
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