Desi-Rae Young

Last updated
Desi-Rae Young
Personal information
Born (2002-01-08) January 8, 2002 (age 22)
Inglewood, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Career information
High school Desert Oasis High School
(Las Vegas, Nevada)
College UNLV Lady Rebels (2020–2024)
Position Center
Number23
Career highlights and awards

Desi-Rae Yvonne Young (born January 8, 2002) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Young attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she played center on the UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team and studies Social Work. [1]

Contents

Personal and early life

Young, born in Inglewood, California is the daughter of Beverly Williams and has two siblings – older brother, Omar Paul, and younger sister, Rashida Young. At age 3, Young and her family moved from Inglewood to Las Vegas, Nevada. At age 12, at the encouragement of her uncle, Young began playing basketball. [2] As a child, Young and her AAU basketball team attended camps hosted by the UNLV Lady Rebels basketball program. [3]

High school career

Young attended Desert Oasis High School (Diamondbacks), where she played on the girls basketball team, in Las Vegas. In 24 games as a sophomore on the 2017-2018 Diamondbacks girls basketball team, Young, a 6’0”, 131-lb power forward and center, led the team in points (263), points per game (11), points per shot (1.6), rebounds per game (6.6 rebounds), field goals made (97), field goal percentage (60%), free throws attempted (132), and double doubles (6). [4] Young led the 2017-2018 Diamondbacks to a 21-5 record, the #4 team ranking in Nevada, the championship game of the Nike Interstate Shootout in Oregon, and to the semifinals of the Sunset Region tournament. [4] [5] [6] Young’s sophomore performance earned her Nevada All-State Team Honorable Mention, All-Southwest League Second Team, and Athlete of the Week honors (January 8-13, 2018), per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. [7] [8] [9]  

Entering Young’s junior season, the Las Vegas Sun selected Young to its preseason “Super Seven” Team, as one of the best girls basketball players in the Las Vegas area. [10] Prior to the start of her junior season, Young had already received a scholarship offer from UNLV to play basketball. [10] As a junior, Young led the 2018-2019 Diamondbacks in rebounds (89), rebounds per game (6.8), field goals made (58), field goal percentage (59%), free throws attempted (71), steals-to-turnover ratio (1.6), charges taken (4), and double doubles (3). [11] Young led the Diamondbacks to a 20-6 record, Southwest League championship, the Diamondbacks program’s first-ever qualification for the 4A state tournament, a trip to the 4A semifinals (loss to Centennial High School), and another #4 Nevada state ranking. [11] [12] [13] Young’s junior performance earned her All-Southwest League MVP honors. [14]

Entering Young’s senior season, the Las Vegas Sun again selected Young to its preseason “Super Seven” Team, describing Young as both a “once-in-a-generation player” and a “once-in-a-generation teammate”. [15] As a senior, now 6’1” and 165lbs, Young led the 2019-2020 Diamondbacks in points (356), points per game (13.7), points per shot (tied, 1.5), field goals made (356), field goal percentage (64%), free throws made (56), free throws attempted (98), rebounds (186), rebounds per game (7.2), blocks (18), blocks per game (0.7), charges taken (7), and double doubles (tied, 4). [16]

As a senior, Young led the Diamondbacks to a 24-3 record, a Desert Region Championship, a runner up finish in Desert Oasis’ first-ever program trip to the 4A state finals (79-51 championship game loss to Centennial High School), #2 Nevada state ranking, and #219 national ranking. [16] [17] [18] Following the state finals loss, in which Young spent significant time on the bench in foul trouble before ultimately fouling out with 7:31 left in the game, her Desert Oasis coach, Laurie Evans, said, “Desi-Rae is a powerhouse. There aren’t a lot of people who can guard her in the state. With her in foul trouble, it was just tough.” [19] Young’s senior performance earned her First Team Nevada All-State Team and Southwest League Co-MVP honors. [20] [21]

Young finished her Desert Oasis High School career with per game averages of 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals. [1]

College career

As a high school prospect, Young was lightly recruited, only receiving two Division I college scholarship offers, from which she committed to UNLV over Pepperdine. [22]

2020-2021

Entering Young's 2020-2021 freshman season at UNLV, the Lady Rebels were picked to finish 9th in the Mountain West Conference as they returned only one starter from the prior season’s 9-9 conference record campaign as well as a new coach, Lindy La Rocque. [23] Despite these lowly expectations, the Lady Rebels, powered in part by Young’s freshman performance, finished the regular season 15-8 (13-5 in Conference), earning the 2nd seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament, one of only three top-2 Conference finishes in Lady Rebel program history. [24] Young scored the game-winning basket against Fresno State on 2/27/21 to clinch second place in the Conference for the Lady Rebels. [1] However, Young and the Lady Rebels’ season ended with a 72-56 upset loss to 7-seed Wyoming in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament, despite Young’s team-leading 21 points and 70% field goal percentage, which earned her “Lady Rebel of the Game” honors. [25] [26]

In 24 games (21 starts) as a freshman center for the Lady Rebels, Young, a previously unranked recruit coming out of high school, led all Mountain West Conference freshmen in scoring (12.7 points per game) (11th overall in Conference, first on team) and rebounding (6.9 per game) (8th overall in Conference, 2nd on team). [27] [1] [28] In the Conference, Young tied for the most double doubles (5), finished 6th in scoring (304 points) (1st on team) and 7th in rebounding (158) (2nd on team). [29] Young also led her team in field goal percentage (51.1%), field goals made (112), free throws made (80), free throws attempted (134), and offensive rebounds (61). [30]

Young’s freshman performance earned her Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, [31] Mountain West Conference All-Freshman Team, Mountain West All-Conference Team Honorable Mention, Week 14 NCAA.com “Starting Five” (top 5 players of the week in NCAA women’s basketball), and Mountain West Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week (February 15-21, 2021) honors. [27] [32] In the classroom, Young earned Spring 2021 Academic All-Mountain West Team honors with a 3.12 GPA in her Social Work studies (after changing her major from Journalism and Media). [33]

2021-2022

Entering her sophomore season, Young was recognized as a preseason All-Mountain West Conference First Team selection. [22]

During the 2021-22 season, she was named the Mountain West Player of the Week three times - November 15; [34] December 27; [35] and January 24. [36] She led UNLV to the program's first ever outright regular season Mountain West title, followed shortly thereafter by the Lady Rebels' first Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament championship in program history with the help of Young's 14 points and seven rebounds in the Mountain West Championship against Colorado State. By winning the conference tournament, the Lady Rebels earned an automatic bid to the 2022 Women's NCAA tournament. [37] In 13-seed UNLV's first round NCAA Tournament game against 4-seed Arizona, Young led the team in scoring and posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the underdog Lady Rebels' led after three quarters before ultimately losing 72-67 to the Wildcats. [38]

In 33 games as a sophomore, Young posted per game averages of 15.2 points (6th in Mountain West), 55.3% field goal percentage, 8.5 rebounds (5th in Mountain West), 1.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.9 steals, as well as twelve double-doubles and scored double-digits in all but one of the Lady Rebels' games. [39] Her season performance earned her Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and All-Mountain West First Team honors, and her Mountain West tournament performance earned her All-Tournament Team recognition, along with teammates Essence Booker (Tournament MVP) and Nneka Obiazor. [40] [41] She became the first Lady Rebel to win Mountain West Player of the Year in 20 years (Linda Fröhlich, 2002). [42]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2020–21 UNLV 242122.451.10.059.76.60.70.80.32.312.7
2021–22 UNLV 333225.555.30.066.78.51.80.90.53.215.2
2022–23 UNLV 343430.759.233.373.110.12.11.50.52.517.9
2023–24 UNLV 333328.856.829.468.49.12.21.30.42.318.3
Career12412027.256.228.967.38.71.81.20.42.616.3
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference. [43]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV Rebels football</span> Athletic program of the University of Nevada

The UNLV Rebels football program is a college football team that represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The team is a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision conference of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The program, which began on September 14, 1968, plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball</span> Mens basketball team of UNLV

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are the men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As of 2023, UNLV has the seventh-highest winning percentage (.687) in Division I history. UNLV is 33–19 all-time in the NCAA tournament with a 63.5 winning percentage. In July 2008, ESPNU named the program the eighth most prestigious collegiate basketball program in the nation since the 1984–85 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV Rebels</span> American athletic program of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The UNLV Rebels are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The school's colors are scarlet and gray.

James Daniel Bolla Jr. was an American college basketball coach. He was the head women's basketball coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1982 to 1996, with his 300 games won the most in the team's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986–87 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1986–87 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1986–87 season under head coach Jerry Tarkanian. The team played its home games in the Thomas & Mack Center, and was a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), now known as the Big West Conference; it would join the Western Athletic Conference in 1996 and become a charter member of its current conference, the Mountain West Conference, in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009–10 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2009–10 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The team was coached by Lon Kruger, returning for his sixth year with the Runnin' Rebels. They played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada and are a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Runnin' Rebels finished the season 25–9, 11–5 in MWC play. They advanced to the championship game of the 2010 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament before losing to San Diego State. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning an 8 seed in the Midwest Region, where they lost to 9 seed Northern Iowa in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV Lady Rebels basketball</span> College basketball team

The UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. The team currently competes in the Mountain West Conference. Since beginning in 1974, the Lady Rebels have an all-time record of 741–484. In the 1988–89 season, UNLV had their most successful season in school history. That year, they went to their lone Sweet Sixteen and lost to Texas 88–77. The Lady Rebels are currently coached by Lindy La Rocque, who is in her fifth year at UNLV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013–14 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2013–14 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team will represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team will be coached by Kathy Olivier, in her sixth year with the Lady Rebels. They play their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They are a member of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2015–16 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team will represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Rebels, led by eighth year head coach Kathy Olivier. They play their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 18–14, 9–9 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West women's tournament where they lost to Fresno State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2016–17 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team will represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Rebels, led by ninth year head coach Kathy Olivier. They play their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They are a member of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Olivier</span> American college basketball coach (born 1959)

Katherine Ann Olivier is an American college basketball coach who most recently was the women's basketball head coach at UNLV. She resigned from that position on March 6, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2017–18 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team will represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Rebels, led by tenth year head coach Kathy Olivier. They play their home games at the Cox Pavilion, attached to the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 19–12, 14–4 in Mountain West play to win the Mountain West regular season title with Boise State. They lost in the quarterfinals Mountain West women's tournament to Nevada. They earn an automatic bid to the WNIT where they lost in the first round to Utah.

The 2018 Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament was held from March 5–9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winner of the tournament received an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA tournament. The 2017 tournament, saw Boise State defeat Fresno State 66-53 to receive an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2018–19 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team will represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Rebels, led by eleventh year head coach Kathy Olivier. They play their home games at the Cox Pavilion, attached to the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 12–18, 10–8 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals Mountain West women's tournament to Fresno State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Mountain West Conference men's basketball season</span> Sports season

The 2019–20 Mountain West Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2019, followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in December 2019 and concluded in February 2020. This season marked the 20th season of Mountain West Conference basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Hamilton</span> American basketball player

Bryce Evan Hamilton is an American professional basketball player who last played for Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels of the Mountain West Conference (MWC).

Kristopher "Kris" Joshon Clyburn is an American professional basketball player for BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the French LNB Pro A. Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions.

Lindy La Rocque is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2021–22 UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Rebels were led by second-year head coach Lindy La Rocque. They played their home games at the Cox Pavilion, attached to the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's main campus in Paradise, Nevada. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 23–6, 15–3 in Mountain West play to win the Mountain West Conference regular season title. They went on to win the Mountain West women's tournament over Colorado State. They lost to Arizona as a 13-seed in the Greensboro region of the first round of the NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Mountain West Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2022 Mountain West Conference football season was the 24th season of College football for the Mountain West Conference. It was part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. 12 teams competed in the conference during the season. The season began August 27 and concluded on December 3 with the Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game. The full schedule for the season was released on February 16, 2022

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "2021-22 Women's Basketball Roster: Desi-Rae Young". UNLV Rebels. 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  2. Orts, Jason (January 8, 2021). "Desi-Rae Young Makes Immediate Impact for Lady Rebels". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  3. Wright, Alex (April 21, 2021). "LADY REBEL LOOK BACK: Young Stakes Claim As One of Best Posts in MW". UNLV Rebels. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Desert Oasis 2017-18 Girls Basketball Player Stats". Max Preps. March 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  5. "Roundup: Desert Oasis falls in championship of Oregon tournament". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 30, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  6. Emerson, Justin (February 15, 2018). "Sunset Girls: Seniors key in Grizzlies' victory, set up title game rematch". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. "2018 All-State Girls Basketball Team". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. "2018 Girls Basketball Honors". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 14, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  9. "Athletes of the Week — Jan. 17". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 17, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Brewer, Ray (December 5, 2018). "Super Seven: For Centennial standout Isbell, it's 'heart over height'". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Desert Oasis 2018-19 Girls Basketball Player Stats". Max Preps. March 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  12. Gordon, Sam (February 19, 2019). "Desert Region: Desert Oasis tops Spring Valley to earn first state bid". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  13. Gordon, Sam (February 27, 2020). "Desert Oasis gets rematch vs. Centennial in girls state tourney". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  14. "2019 Girls Basketball Honors". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 18, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  15. Brewer, Ray (December 11, 2019). "Super Seven: Desert Oasis forward 'will be one of the best to come out of Vegas'". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Desert Oasis 2019-20 Girls Basketball Player Stats". Max Preps. March 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  17. Orts, Jason (February 20, 2020). "Rice wins 500th game as Bishop Gorman claims region title". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  18. "2020 Girls Basketball State Tournament Glances". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 23, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  19. Orts, Jason (February 28, 2020). "Centennial wins NIAA-record 6th straight girls state title". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  20. Kallam, Clay (March 4, 2020). "Nevada All-State Girls Basketball Team presented by Suddenlink". Max Preps. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  21. Orts, Jason (March 20, 2020). "2019-20 Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada girls basketball team". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  22. 1 2 Brewer, Ray (2021-11-12). "UNLV player goes from lightly recruited to one of league's best - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  23. Gotz, Ben (November 19, 2020). "UNLV women's basketball picked near bottom of Mountain West". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  24. "2020-21 Women's Basketball Standings". Mountain West Conference. March 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  25. Hill, Adam (March 8, 2021). "Lady Rebels' dream season ends in nightmarish fashion". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  26. "Lady Rebel Season Ends In MW Quarterfinals To Wyoming". UNLV Rebels. March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  27. 1 2 "Mountain West Announces 2020-21 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team". Mountain West Conference. March 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  28. "Lady Rebels Pick Up MW Coach, Freshman, Defensive Player Of The Year Honors". UNLV Rebels. March 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  29. "2020-2021 Women's Basketball Overall Statistics". Mountain West Conference. March 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  30. "2020-21 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". UNLV Rebels. March 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  31. "Power Rankings: An NCAA championship rematch and the top rivalry games of the week". ESPN.com. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  32. Nixon, Rick (February 24, 2021). "FGCU's Kierstan Bell headlines this week's starting 5, the top players in women's basketball". NCAA.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  33. "Conference-Record 2,045 Honorees on Spring 2021 Academic All-Mountain West Tam" (PDF). Mountain West Conference (themw.com). July 14, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  34. "MW Women's Basketball Players of the Week - Nov. 15". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  35. "MW Women's Basketball Players of the Week - Dec. 27". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  36. "MW Women's Basketball Players of the Week - Jan. 24". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  37. "UNLV Lady Rebels Win First-Ever Mountain West Women's Basketball Tournament Title". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  38. "UNLV vs. Arizona - Box Score - March 19, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  39. "Desi-Rae Young - Women's Basketball". University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  40. "Mountain West Announces 2021-22 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team and Individual Awards". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  41. "2022 Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  42. "Mountain West Women's Basketball Weekly Release - Postseason". themw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  43. "Desi-Rae Young College Stats". Sports-Reference . Retrieved April 15, 2024.