Young Ends Recruitment after Mizzou Trip

Kevin Young, a massive 6-10, 295 pound center from the Berkshire School in Homestead, Fla., has committed to Missouri.

The Insiders Report/Rivalshoops.com has confirmed Young's commitment with Berkshire Head Coach Rolando De La Barrera.

De La Barrera accompanied Young on an unofficial visit to Missouri this past weekend and feels that the Big 12 program is a good spot for his developing big man.

"They have been recruiting him for a long time, and Missouri is in a very good position right now," De La Barrera said. "Number one, because they are ranked in the top ten in the country, and the program is ascending into a perennial NCAA team."

"The other thing is that there's a possibility for him to play there in the very near future," De La Barrera continued. "When he went on his unofficial, he was taller than Arthur Johnson and outweighs him by 25 pounds. Kevin carries a lot of weight, but he's not really heavy, because he has a lot of weight below his waist."

Simply put, Young is a space-eater deluxe with tremendous hands who catches just about everything thrown in his direction. He is a physical interior player who loves to mix it up in the paint and do the dirty work, yet he has feathery soft touch on his shot. Those facets make him a tough player to defend once he gets the ball in the low post.

While he's not particularly fast or athletic, Young moves very well and has no problem being a factor on both ends of the court.

"He has huge hands and huge feet," De La Barrera said. "He is very very difficult to move once he gets his spot near the basket."

De La Barrera accompanied Young on his trip to Columbia, Mo., this past weekend. Young had to take an unofficial trip to Mizzou because he had yet to sit for the SAT or ACT exams.

He chose the Tigers over Miami. He had previously taken a pair of unofficial trips to the Florida based Big East school, which is located close to Berkshire.

Young had also taken unofficial visits to South Florida and Florida. But in the end, Missouri edged out Miami for the Jamaican big man's services.

"His familiarity with the Missouri coaching staff was another big factor," De La Barrera said. "Duane John (a Missouri freshman) was here last year. I think he also enjoyed the campus and the atmosphere there. He was leaning there before the trip but that kind of threw him over."

De La Barrera commended the coaching staffs of Miami and Missouri. Specifically, he cited the Hurricanes' Greg Gary and the entire Mizzou staff of Quin Snyder, Lane Odom and Tony Harvey.

"It's very difficult to compete with Missouri right now," De La Barrera said. "They are a program on the rise. I got a chance to see a workout they had on Saturday, and they are putting a lot of great building blocks together. It's a really good foundation they are laying."

Last year at Berkshire, Young averaged nine points per game. His numbers are likely to increase this year as he will undoubtedly become more of a focal point of the Berkshire attack.

Berkshire sent a pair of players to the high Division I ranks last year in Missouri's John and DePaul's Quemont Greer.

Young will sit for the SAT exam later this fall, and the Insiders Report/Rivalshoops.com will keep you posted on his academic progress and development this season at Berkshire.