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Coaches dial Young's number with hope
But Mitchell star isn't identifying any favorites for now
By Jim Masilak
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July 9, 2005
SUWANEE, Ga. -- Thaddeus Young received his first recruiting letter when he was in the eighth grade. There's no telling how many trees have been sacrificed in the pursuit of his coveted signature in the three-plus years since that initial form letter landed in his mailbox.
Mitchell's sensational 6-8 senior forward figures the collective correspondence recruiters have sent him would "probably fill up a whole room."
Young receives so much mail from breathless college coaches that he no longer has the time or patience to sort through it all.
Indeed, to get through to a player regarded as one of the top three in the class of 2006, it takes something extra.
Something special.
Something personal.
"It got to the point a while ago where I had to start throwing stuff away," said Young after participating in a game at the adidas Superstar Camp on Friday morning at the Suwanee Sports Academy. "If it's the kind of letter they send to everybody, I don't read it."
Young has long since passed the point where a letter from a college coach makes a big impression on him. He fields about 20 phone calls a day from coaches and media and, because he travels around the country with his summer team, Memphis Pump'N'Run, he's easy for scouts to find.
Young is so guarded about his intentions -- he said he hasn't named his list of favorites publicly in at least two years -- that it's difficult to get an accurate read on which schools lead for his services.
As a result, the correspondence continues unabated, and it has led to some interesting tactics.
"One school sent me something with my picture on it saying, 'Thaddeus Young: The No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft after one year in college,'" Young said, flashing his trademark ear-to-ear grin at the idea.
"Another school sent me a wanted poster with my picture on it. It said, 'Wanted: For posession of deadly ballhandling skills. Last seen breaking somebody's ankles.'"
Young's stated plan of action is to compile a list of five schools by the end of the summer, visit them and then sign a letter of intent before the start of his senior season in November.
He's so careful about ensuring all his options remain open that he refuses even to say which schools sent the wanted poster and the draft prediction.
As frustrated as fans might be about his unwillingness to talk about specific schools, coaches are sometimes even more so.
"They keep calling and telling me, 'We want you, we want you. Are we in your top five?'" Young said. "I'm just like, 'We'll see at the end of the summer. Just wait.' They want me to commit, and I tell them they're gonna have to wait like all the other coaches."
Of course, even if Young follows his course of action and reveals his list of finalists in August, it is unlikely to dissuade those who don't make the cut.
"I think it might make it easier this way," Young said. "Coaches say that, 'Once you say your top five, if we're not in it we'll leave you alone.' I guess some of them will and some of them won't."
So what is Young looking for in a school?
He's visited face-to-face with approximately 40 different teams. The ones most often mentioned in connection with Young of late include the University of Memphis, North Carolina and Ohio State, but the player will confirm or deny virtually none of it, saying he's considering "dozens" of schools.
He plans to sit down later this month with his father, Felton Young, Mitchell coach Jerry Johnson and other family members in an effort to narrow his choices.
"People still say I have favorites, and college coaches call and say, 'We hear you're counting us out.' Well, right now I don't talk to anyone about my college choices except my dad and my uncle (Ken Carter, a New Orleans attorney who has been advising the family)," Young said. "I'm kind of blank right now. Narrowing it down is gonna be kind of hard."
Felton Young declined an interview request Friday afternoon, but Thaddeus denied reports that he will soon add his name to the impressive recruiting haul being lined up by Ohio State coach Thad Matta.
Several top seniors, including the nation's consensus No. 1 recruit, Greg Oden, have committed to the Buckeyes.
"That's not true at all," said Young when asked whether he was leaning toward OSU. "Somebody was telling me (there was a report) that I had a top three, and that's not true either.
"(Ohio State) is very intriguing. Greg and those guys have been asking me to come with them. 'Come on over there with us,' they tell me. I'm like, 'It ain't that easy.'"
-- Jim Masilak: 529-2311