Ohio State senior forward Kyle Young (25) guards and watches Purdue players during the Ohio State-Purdue game on Jan. 19. Ohio State lost 67-65. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
As the Buckeyes have slugged through their hottest stretch of the season, winning eight of their last nine games, they have largely relied on their veteran forward to carry them.
Throughout his four-year career at Ohio State, senior forward Kyle Young has brought consistent energy to every iteration of head coach Chris Holtmann’s Buckeye teams. Holtmann, who has seen Young battle through nagging injuries, said the Canton, Ohio, native has taken strides in his game and provided an example for his teammates on how to approach the game.
“He’s a really good player and underrated in a lot of ways, I think, but he’s a fourth-year kid, who was second to Kaleb (Wesson) in Mr. Basketball. He was a good player coming out of high school,” Holtmann said. “(He) has just grown and his game has grown.”
Young’s career has largely been defined by his impact outside of scoring. Hauling in 1.6 offensive rebounds per game in his career, Young leads the 2020-21 Buckeyes with an average of two offensive rebounds a game.
While he has maintained the hustle components of his game, Young’s scoring output has reached a career best.
Posting a career scoring average of 5.9 points per game, Young’s 34 points over the Buckeyes’ past two wins is the most the senior has posted over a two-game stretch in his career.
In Ohio State’s most recent game — a 73-65 win over Maryland Monday — Young posted a career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Despite averaging a career-best 8.9 points per game on the season, Young said he is not forcing shots.
“When you’re out there playing hard and you’re letting the game come to you, good things will happen,” Young said Monday. “That’s all I’m trying to do is just do whatever my team needs in the time being on the offensive end, defensive end.”
A wrinkle that has allowed Young to increase his versatility offensively has been the emergence of an outside game.
Entering the season, Young delivered on only 4-of-29 shots from beyond the 3-point line in the first 81 games of his career. On an efficient 38.1 percent from deep, Young has buried eight triples in 20 games during the 2020-21 season.
Young said the improvement in his 3-point shot is a product of the work he put in over the offseason.
“I put in a lot of working in the offseason, and my teammates trust in me and want me to take those shots,” Young said. “It’s been feeling good and once you’ve seen them go in, you’re going to take more shots, so if I get more open looks, I’m going to continue to take them.”
As a teammate of Young for the past three seasons and seeing Young’s growth firsthand, junior guard Duane Washington Jr. pointed to Young’s work ethic as a reason for his growth on the offensive end.
“He’s one of a kind, Kyle Young is the hardest working dude, hardest working player I’ve ever played with,” Washington said. “It’s special, it goes unnoticed a lot.”
Although Young has grown on the offensive end of the floor, he remains a consistent leader for the Buckeyes since he joined the program in 2017.
Even with Young’s leadership and toughness confined to the basketball court, Washington said he would rely on Young in any situation.
“I always tell people, if I had to pick one guy to go and tussle with, I’m picking Kyle Young,” Washington said. “That’s the guy I’m bringing with me everywhere I go.”
As one of the longest tenured Buckeyes, Young has served as a veteran presence for the 2020-21 Buckeyes.
Holtmann said there is a noticeable dropoff in intensity when Young doesn’t practice.
“He’s a great example and we miss him when he can’t practice. Honestly, it affects our practice in a lot of ways,” Holtmann said. “We don’t feel it as much, because he’s an older kid who does bring energy.”
With the Buckeyes excelling in conference play and putting themselves in a position to contend on the national scale, Young’s contributions have not gone unnoticed.
The Ohio State veteran said his four-year journey as a Buckeye has all led to this stretch.
“Just having experience and being a part of Ohio State, being with these coaches for four years,” Young said. “As my time here is winding down, you don’t want to take anything for granted and you want to continue to play as hard as you can, every time you step on the floor. I’m just trying to go into every game and give it everything I got.”
