DePaul University Athletics
Young's Incisive Leadership Has Remained Steadfast
2/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Feb. 17, 2014
CHICAGO - The mission Brandon Young set out on four years ago has never been easy, a daunting challenge that required equal parts athleticism, unbridled optimism, tunnel vision and tactfulness.
Student-athletes with less character and intestinal fortitude would have passed the torch onto someone else, and understandably so. To be in the forefront of orchestrating the complete turnaround of the DePaul men's basketball program is demanding a lot from a young man in his late teens when he arrived in Lincoln Park.
But that's exactly what Young signed up for when he joined Division I basketball rebuilding specialist Oliver Purnell as he took over as head coach on April 6, 2010. Purnell's impressive resume included turning around programs at Radford, Old Dominion, Dayton and Clemson.
As a freshman point guard in the 2010-11 season, Young was assigned the unenviable task of telling upperclassmen where to go on the court and becoming a symbol of a changed basketball culture.
All this without so much as a previous mentor or role model to guide him on this path to leadership with the exception of ex-DePaul teammate Jeremiah Kelly.
"Did a I have somebody when I was a kid who could serve as a role model for me when it comes to leadership?" Young said "Not really. I've always been in situations where I had to lead my team. I was left to do it on my own, pretty much by trial and error. I had to figure it out the hard way. Other than Jeremiah, I never had someone who could show me the way.
"My mom (Tracey Bailey) is the leader of our family, and I learned from her. My grandmother (Henrietta Jupiter) was an aggressive kind of leader, doing a lot more yelling. I got my smoothness and finesse from my mom and my aggressiveness from my grandmother."
Kelly and Young often played in the same backcourt for DePaul.
"When I was an underclassman, Jeremiah taught me a lot," Young said. "He showed me how to be patient in my leadership and that everything I say doesn't have to be aggressive and angry. He taught me that everybody is watching your every move so be sure and mind your P's and Q's."
Accepting the mantle of leadership can be a tricky task with all kinds of variables and intangibles influencing your ability to command the respect of others. Navigating his way around hurdles such as directing upperclassmen and running the team was a learning experience for the freshman point guard from Baltimore.
"In Brandon's freshman season, he came into a program that was clearly fractured," Purnell said. "We were better off building it up with our own players. He is a talented young man, and we put him in that position right away.
"Certainly, it was tough on him. The program struggled, but both Brandon and the team got better by the end of the season. A big part of that was the growth of Brandon Young.
"It's so important for our basketball program that he provides leadership. Brandon is part of the class that has been with me from the beginning at DePaul. We're asking him to direct the team as a point guard at times and also to score more when he becomes a two-guard. Whatever the role, we need him to lead."
Young's leadership qualities extended well beyond the dimensions of a basketball court last season. Off the court, Young took the lead in the team's dorm walks. The Blue Demons brought pizzas to students returning from winter break and encouraged them to come out and support the team.
When the men's and women's basketball teams held a pep rally at the student center, it was Young who took to the stage as the spokesman.
"I know what my role is, and that's to lead this team by getting you to play better and to play basketball the right way," Young said. "During our trip to France in the summer of 2011, I was being acknowledged as the leader of our team. People were telling me I had the ability to lead this team.
"When you're a leader, there is always going to be pressure on you. When we win or lose, what am I doing to make a difference? It's on me to encourage guys to come to the gym late at night or to organize team meetings. You do the little things no one else sees. Maybe it's hanging out with guys I don't usually hang with."
In addition to vocalizing his leadership, Young led by example right from the outset. He hit the court running in his college debut, scoring in double figures the first six games of his career. That had not happened for a freshman at DePaul since the opening of the 1998-99 season when a 6-foot, 9-inch center named Lance Williams put up those kinds of numbers.
Such a stellar beginning paved the way for Young to become the only player in DePaul history to record at least 1,200 points, 400 assists and 100 3-point baskets. He has started every game but one in his four years, and with five games left in the BIG EAST season he had 95 career games scoring in double figures.
He is fourth all-time in assists and steals, seventh in scoring and free throws, eighth in 3-point baskets and ninth in field goals. Young is the first Blue Demon since Rod Strickland (1985-88) to record at least 100 assists for three-straight seasons. He needs seven assists in his final five regular-season games to once again reach the century mark and is averaging nearly four per game.
"That's great about the career points, assists and 3-pointers stat," Young said. "There have been a lot of great players who have come through the DePaul program. I couldn't have done it without my teammates. All those assists are from my teammates converting passes into baskets. It's an honor and a blessing to have my name up there with the all-time greats.
"It makes me realize that all the hard work I've put in these last four years has paid off. Everything I've accomplished was for the team and to help us win, and none of us are done yet. We have to be patient. Everything will come. I'm working as hard as I can, beating my body down and doing everything I can think of to help this team win."
That helped lead to back-to-back BIG EAST Conference victories over Butler on Jan. 9 and St. John's on Jan. 14.
"Those back-to-back BIG EAST wins demonstrated the strengths of our team when we listen to the coaches and follow the game plan," Young said about the 99-94 double-overtime success at Indianapolis and the 77-75 decision over the Red Storm at Allstate Arena. "It was a positive sign that we are capable of winning three or four in a row.
"You could feel the excitement around campus after those two wins. Everybody was congratulating you and patting you on the back telling you what a good job you did. If we win, a lot of people are going to support us and cheer us on. It was a good feeling, and if we want to get that feeling back, we know what we have to do."
Young leads the team in assists and steals and is second in scoring. He had a season-high 27 points against No. 6/6 Villanova last week, put up 24 points against nationally ranked Creighton and had 23 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists against Southern Miss.
He turned in another complete performance with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in a victory over Oregon State. In a road win at Milwaukee, Young wound up with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists in the victory over St. John's. He had a team-high 23 points and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line at Seton Hall.
"When it comes to free throws at the end of a game, you have to be ready to face the pressure of having a win or a loss in your hands," Young said. "You're by yourself on that free throw line. What are you going to do when the bright lights are on? I like to play on the big stage.
"I stay relaxed and remember that big-time players make big-time plays---and I want to be a big-time player."
Leadership is paramount for a 6-4 point guard looking to become a big-time player.
"I have been in a leadership role ever since my freshman year when I was directing the offense and telling guys where to go," Young said. "When coach Purnell first brought me here, he told me that he wanted me to lead the team.
"I was reminded of that after the Xavier game when I didn't play in the second half because of leadership issues. I had a talk with coach Purnell and I looked at the things I should have done for the team. I told myself I was definitely going to bring more energy to the very next game and do all the things I should be doing.
"I had to be more patient and let the game come to me. In basketball, everybody is going to have an off day once in a while. What matters is how you bounce back and recover from that bad game."
Young rebounded from the Xavier game to lead the team at Seton Hall with those 23 points.
"I realize that as a senior, I have to maintain an upbeat attitude and set an example for the rest of the team," Young said. "I loved having a chip on my shoulder as a freshman and need to play like that again.
"I see a lot of things differently now. I know how to communicate with certain players. I've learned how to get certain guys going and when to take it easy. If you do it right, your teammates will feed off that.
"I've learned the difference between positive and negative leadership. You just can't yell at everybody. Some people get down on themselves when you yell at them. I've learned how to read people and relate to them on different levels. If I've handled things wrong, I'll meet with them and find a way to get past it so we can move forward."
The reality has set in just how much Young means to his team.
"This senior leadership is a big responsibility and can have so much impact on the team," Young said. "It's a relief having help from the other seniors like Sandi Marcius and Edwind McGhee. They are out there with me and we all stick together. It also helps that we have a good group of players who are willing to listen.
"I'm comfortable with the leadership role. I'm not the only leader on this team. There's also Edwind, Sandi and Billy Garrett Jr.
"But this is what I was brought here to do---be a leader and do everything I can to keep the team focused. Once I stepped into coach Purnell's system, he picked me to be the leader. I've stepped up and taken the challenge.
"I've tried to stay in attack mode at all times on the court. I do not take a play off, and I try to show my teammates that if we play hard for all 40 minutes, there's a good chance we'll come out with a win."
Despite being a freshman, the heady and poised Garrett has provided leadership as a point guard, allowing Young to assume a role as a combo guard at various points of a game.
"We all have high hopes for Billy," Young said. "He is a great player who comes at you hard. Billy can go to the basket and score or create a shot for someone else---and he always hits his free throws. He can set up Sandi or another talented freshman---big Tommy Hamilton IV---with open shots.
"Billy and Tommy are big stress-relievers for me. Now instead of focusing on me, opposing defenses have other players to guard all over the court."
When it comes to crunch time, the Blue Demons have a pair of go-to guys.
"We can go with whoever coach Purnell wants to use in creating a good shot at the end," Young said. "Whoever coach chooses to put the ball in his hands, it's up to him to make something happen. It could be me or Billy. Maybe we set up Tommy for a shot. Whatever the option, I have trust in my teammates and a lot of confidence they will get the job done.
"If I'm chosen, of course I look forward to it. Everybody wants the ball in their hands at the end of the game or when the shot clock is running down. You want to have the chance to win the game."
Additional offensive weapons allow the dual point guards to create more scoring chances.
"When teams start to double-team Tommy, it gives me and Billy openings to get to the basket and set up teammates," Young said. "When our teammates are hitting their outside shots, I can drive to the lane and look to set them up for open looks.
"It's been great having bigger players this season like Tommy, Sandi and Forrest Robinson who are all 6-10 and 6-9 Greg Sequele. These are big men who know how to play big. Tommy is a big man who is very capable of hitting his shot outside and can also score with a power move down low.
"All these guys are willing to put a body on somebody and sacrifice their body for you throwing screens, blocking out and battling inside. That makes you want to sacrifice your body rebounding, diving on the floor or flying out of bounds for a loose ball."
Young has seen growth in the program based on how hard the Blue Demons are working this season.
"This year, everybody has bought into Purnell's system," Young said. "We all believe we can turn things around. Everybody wants to win and then go out and get the next one.
"We are putting our bodies on the line for each other and realizing we have the talent to turn this program around. It's a big responsibility to undertake.
"Everyone wants to see us win, and we want to put smiles on people's faces. As tough as it is to turn an entire program around, we are striving to get it done."
