Coach Young was named WVSSAC Coach of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.
Coach Young has built up an impressive list of achievements: 2024 state champions, 2023 state runner-ups, seven state tournament appearances, 3x OVAC champions (2017, 2021, 2024), 2024 OVAC Coach of the Year finalist, and an overall record in 10 seasons of 187-61.
Coach Young has been coaching our girls’ basketball team since 2015.
“My most memorable season would have to be last season because we finally got to the top and I really enjoyed seeing our girls work so hard for something that they were able to achieve together. My 3rd season (2017) was also very memorable because we beat Morgantown in the regional final to go downstate for the first time in 5 years. Morgantown was the 3 time defending state champion so that was a pretty special moment as well,” said Coach Young.
Senior varsity member, Lala Woods, has been greatly impacted by Coach Young throughout the past four years.
“Coach Young has been a great part of my park basketball experience. Over time our relationship as a player and coach has grown. He has given me confidence since freshmen year and I’m so glad we got to get him a championship. He deserved it for all his hard work and dedication toward this program,” said Woods
Coaching isn’t just helping your players become better athletes, there is much more behind the scenes that people do not see.
“Creating a competitive schedule, planning offseason workouts, making sure the girls have plenty of opportunities in the summer and fall to develop and just making sure our girls are on the right track to be successful after high school are just a few of the things we try to do as coaches,” said Young
Alexis Bordas, a three-year varsity captain, couldn’t have achieved her big accomplishments without the help of Coach Young.
“Coach Young has helped me in so many ways over the last few years. He has helped me get better and pushed me to be the best player I can be every day in practice. He has also been excited and happy for me in all of my accomplishments and is a big reason why I’ve achieved those things. He has helped me in life just as much as basketball by always being there for me and always letting me talk to him. Coach Young is definitely a super passionate coach. He wants to win so badly so he pushes all of us as hard as possible but then off the court is someone who we can go to because of how much he cares about everyone he coaches and wants them to succeed not just in basketball, but in life,” said Bordas
Coming into a new season with a new team as defending state champions carries a lot of weight, but this is only a small challenge for our coach of the year.
“This season will definitely be different from the last 2 seasons. We had so many players with a lot of experince return last season and that definitely factored into our success. But I see this season as a new challenge that I am really looking forward to. We have a lot of really good kids that have been waiting for their opportunity and I think we will get a lot better as the season goes on. We will certainly face some adversity but we can learn a lot in that process that will help these student-athletes well beyond basketball. We have built a successful program and we intend to compete and contend like we have in recent years,” said Coach Young.
