The Learning Curve: Patric Young Playing With Renewed Confidence
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Patric Young doesn't look like a kid who won't turn 19 until next month. At 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Young could easily pass for a rookie linebacker in the NFL.
On Monday afternoon at the UF Women's Center next door to where the UF men's basketball team practices, Young casually sprawled out on a sofa and answered questions about the Gators' trip to Tennessee on Tuesday in what will be Young's first SEC road game.
Young's laid-back demeanor and thoughtful responses made you briefly forget he's only 18. But then you remember what Gators coach Billy Donovan said a couple of days earlier.
A McDonald's All-American coming out of the Providence School of Jacksonville, Young arrived at UF with enormous expectations. Donovan knew it. Young knew it. And so did his teammates.
Some pegged Young as one of those players who check into college one day and out the next with his NBA body and past success.
Not Donovan.
“I don't think people really understand the expectations and the pressure that a lot of these guys feel when they come out of high school, especially in-state guys,'' Donovan said. “Patric Young, a McDonald's All-American, USA Basketball, comes in a big, strong physical guy. He is going to cure all the physical problems in Florida's frontcourt, and people never really gave him a chance that he has got to get better and improve.''
With such high expectations and limited offensive production in his first season, Young started to get frustrated as the holiday break approached. Donovan and his assistants saw Young's angst grow, prompting them to have a meeting with the talented forward/center.
They told him to block out the distractions, not to worry about what others expect or what people are saying, and keep his approach simple. In other words, they told him the things you sometimes have to tell an 18-year-old trying to find his way in a new world.
After a stretch in which he scored just two points in five games, Young's production is starting to increase.
Over his last three games – wins at Xavier and at home against Rhode Island and Ole Miss – Young has averaged 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Overall, Young is averaging 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 games, including his first career start on Jan. 3 against Rhode Island in place of a banged-up Vernon Macklin.
Young referenced the recent meeting with his coaches as a turning point.
“I feel like I am learning a lot,'' Young said. “I'm trusting the coaches a lot more and buying into what they're telling me. It's been showing the last few games. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform, which was the worst thing I could do.”
Young remains raw offensively but provides the Gators a much-needed physical presence inside, especially against teams that are bigger and stronger. In UF's 55-51 win at Florida State in late November, Young played a season-high 25 minutes and his physical play helped change the tone against the Seminoles.
That's the kind of performance the Gators need from Young consistently. As the SEC season progresses, if Young can play stellar defense, rebound, provide points on the offensive boards, the Gators will have another dimension.
Young's recent attitude adjustment has been noticeable to Donovan.
“I think there was a frustration point for Patric during the month of November and leading into December, where he got to the point of wanting to do so well so bad, that he got down on himself,'' Donovan said. “It really led to him not getting better at the rate that he needed to get better. His attitude was really preventing that.
“I think he came back [from the break] and realized this is going to be a process for him. The expectations, you can't control that. That's other people. I think he's really tried to focus on doing the things that he knows he can do. I'm not looking for him to be a scorer, but he can rebound, he can defense, he can be physical. He is a presence inside. As long as he continues to do those things, he is going to help our team.''
Senior center Macklin has also helped Young understand his role by playing through injuries all season and going head-to-head against him in practice regularly.
“I definitely do admire him,'' Young said of his older teammate. “He's a warrior; he's probably one of my favorite people I have ever played basketball with. I learn from him and he's a good role model for me.''
Regardless of how well Young has played, he hasn't let his personal frustrations affect his relationship with his teammates. They see the same player day in and day out according to senior forward Chandler Parsons.
“He's like an ultimate teammate,'' Parsons said. “I mean, all the hype he had in high school, all the build-up he had, he has never once even tried to talk about the NBA or scoring points. He's just so bought into doing all the little things. He has made Vernon better by banging against him in practice every day.''
As a result, Young hopes to get better, too.
GATOR GAMEBOX
Florida at Tennessee
Tip-off: 9 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena
Records: Florida 12-3 (1-0 SEC); Tennessee (10-5, 0-1)
Game notes: (click here)
TV/Radio: ESPN/Gator Radio Network (click here for affiliates)
Need to know: The Gators won the last meeting between the schools, 75-62, in Gainesville on Feb. 23; Tennessee has won 10 of 13 overall against Florida and leads the all-time series, 69-49 … UF's last win at Thompson-Boling Arena came in 2005 … Gators sophomore F Erik Murphy, who has missed the last two games with a sprained right foot, made the trip to Knoxville and is questionable … Sophomore G Kenny Boynton has made a four-point play in three consecutive games and has six in 49 career games … The can win their season-high fifth consecutive game with a victory … Florida is averaging 77.3 points over its last three games after failing to score 70 points in seven consecutive games … The Volunteers are coming off a 68-65 loss on Saturday in their SEC opener at Arkansas … Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl is suspended for the first eight SEC games; sixth-year associate head coach Tony Jones is serving as head coach during Pearl's suspension … Junior G Scotty Hopson leads the Vols in scoring at 16.3 points a game, and freshman F Tobias Harris is averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
