Young wows the crowd in lopsided Pitt victory

Freshman Sam Young made quite the first impression on the Oakland Zoo in his first game at the… Freshman Sam Young made quite the first impression on the Oakland Zoo in his first game at the Petersen Events Center.

Granted, Pitt’s 100-42 win Saturday night was only an exhibition match against Division II Slippery Rock, but it was a great chance for Young and the other Pitt newcomers to show exactly why they have been considered one of the school’s best recruiting classes.

Young showed the 6,813 in attendance, especially the rather-full student section earning their new loyalty points, what his teammates and coaches had known since he’s been at Pitt this fall – he has all the athletic ability in the world.

“He’s an instant highlight,” center Aaron Gray said of Young. “He does his thing every day in practice and he’s going to be a great spark for us all year.”

The 6-foot-6 forward scored eight points in 10 minutes in the second half. It wasn’t necessarily the quantity of the points Young scored as much as it was the quality that got the crowd so excited.

A little more than five minutes into the second half, Young put on his very own one-man slam-dunk spectacular.

After a steal in the backcourt, Young broke in all alone at the hoop closest to the Pitt bench. As the entire Oakland Zoo wondered what would transpire, it was as if his teammates already knew because they were already standing. In LeBron James-like fashion, Young nearly hit his head off the rim as he fully extended his right arm for a tomahawk dunk.

Although it was early November, the Zoo sounded like it was mid-April.

“Having someone like him that can instantly get 12,500 people going crazy, it just adds to our home court advantage,” Gray said.

Young wasn’t done yet. Just moments later, Keith Benjamin and Young found themselves with a fast break two-on-one opportunity. Benjamin made the Slippery Rock defender play him and lobbed an alley-oop pass to an open Young. His two-handed catch and dunk once again brought the crowd to its feet.

“That’s just a god-given talent he’s been blessed with,” Carl Krauser said after the game. “Sam goes out there, he doesn’t try to do anything extra, he just goes out and uses his ability. And tonight he just showed everyone what he can do, and he’s going to be a great player in the future.”

Young finished his dunking exposition with a rebound off a missed free throw by Benjamin. He finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and one block in just 19 minutes of action.

Although his first appearance at the Pete will likely be remembered by the fans because of his dunking display, head coach Jamie Dixon is excited about Young for other reasons.

“Excitement to me is a guy getting the job done and competing and playing hard, and that’s what he does,” Dixon said. “He’s willing to pay the price and willing to work hard. Although his athletic ability obviously sticks out, what sticks out the most with me is what an appreciative young man he is. He loves being at the University of Pittsburgh.”

With the Panthers non-conference schedule set up the way it is, as Pitt plays only two road games before Big East play starts, Young and the other members of this heralded recruiting class will remain at the friendly confines of the Pete for their next six games. It is also likely that they will continue to see a lot of minutes in the early parts of this season.

And for Young, more playing time will probably mean more exciting dunks – just another reason for the animals of the Oakland Zoo to get their loyalty points.