Former Randallstown point guard Brandon Young is headed from one big city to another.
The Baltimore County native -- who's now a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington -- committed to DePaul last weekend after taking an official visit to the Chicago school.
"It was just beautiful," Young said. "It's a nice city and I'm just around good people. [The coaches] want me to get better. I feel like that was the perfect fit for me."
Young, 6 feet 2, 175 pounds, selected the Blue Demons over offers from Miami, Marquette, UMass, South Florida and Central Florida.Young was somewhat of an unknown commodity heading into the summer. He had a strong junior season at Friendship Collegiate, averaging 12 points and six assists per game. But it wasn't until Young suited up for the D.C.-based Team Takeover this summer that his stock soared.
Rivals.com ranked Young the No. 147 overall player in the 2010 class and the No. 33 point guard.
"I never thought I was going to be ranked, because I was an underrated player," Young said. "Nobody really knew about me. I never knew I was going to be ranked and have so many offers, so it's new to me. I didn't expect this."
Team Takeover coach Keith Stevens said it's no surprise Young had so many options. Young is a true point guard that can score, and the DePaul coaching staff recognized that talent.
"[The DePaul coaches like] the fact that he's an excellent ball-handler," Stevens said. "He's a very good decision-maker in transition. He's a kid that can come in, with the proper strength, and play from day one."
The Blue Demons will lose point guard Will Walker to graduation after this season, which potentially opens the door for Young to play major minutes as a freshman. Young said he's looking forward to that opportunity and learning from veteran coach Jerry Wainwright
"Oh, he's a good man," Young said. "He's taught me a lot and he hasn't even been my coach yet. He's taught me some life lessons already."
With Young's pledge to DePaul, nine Baltimore seniors have now made commitments to Div. I basketball programs. Young said he's excited about potentially facing friends in college that he grew up playing against.
"It means a lot to me because once we get to the college level, we can meet back up and play against each other," Young said. "It's just good to know that people are going to college from where you're from."
