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University of Houston Athletics
Former UH Great Elevated To Assistant Hoops Coach
4/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 29, 2003
HOUSTON, Texas - University of Houston head men's basketball coach Ray McCallum today announced that Michael Young has been named assistant men's basketball coach. Young?s primary responsibilities will be coaching the Cougars' post players.
For the past five years Young has been an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UH, working exclusively with the men?s basketball program.
McCallum believes this is the right fit for his program.
"(Michael) is one of the all-time greats here," said McCallum, "and he was an All-American. He has shown great loyalty and commitment to the University. He is one of the most recognizable and well-liked Cougars of all-time. He is just going to have a tremendous impact on our program.
"He has worked as our strength and conditioning coach and has had a positive impact with the development of our young student-athletes. Coupled with his knowledge of the game and great experiences as a player, I think he is going to be a great addition to our staff."
Young returned to Houston in 1998 after playing professional basketball for 15 years. A 1984 first-round selection by the Boston Celtics, Young played three years in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. He also played two seasons with the Detroit Spirit of the CBA, where he was named the CBA's Player-of-the-Year in 1986 after averaging 26 points per game.
Young, too, is excited about this new opportunity for him and his alma mater.
"This is a very happy moment for me," added Young. "I'm just happy to be here working at the University of Houston with the strength and conditioning program for the past five years, and then get the opportunity to come back and be an assistant for men's basketball is a dream come true."
In addition to playing in the NBA and CBA, Young enjoyed an illustrious 14-year playing career overseas in the Philippines, Spain, Italy, France and Israel. While he was in France, Young averaged 23 points per game while leading the Limoges Club to the 1992 European Club Championship. It was the first time a French athletic club won a European title in any sport. In January 2003, Young was inducted into the French Sports Hall of Fame and his number was retired.
Before he began his professional career, Young was a four-year starter at Houston, where he set a school record for most games played and minutes played. The Houston native and Yates High School standout ended his career third on the school's career scoring charts with 2,043 points and he set a Southwest Conference record with 900 career field goals.
Young has the distinction of being the only Cougar to start on four teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths. He also played on three NCAA Final Four teams during his career, and was the leading scorer on Houston's two teams that advanced to the NCAA title game in 1983 and 1984. As a senior, The Sporting News and Basketball Weekly named Young a 1984 second-team All-American. The Associated Press, UPI and NABC-Kodak also chose him third-team All-American that same season.
In 1984, he was consensus First-Team All-SWC selection after leading the league in scoring with 19.8 points per contest. Young also was named to the SWC Post-Season Classic's All-Tournament Team three times. In 1980, he and Clyde Drexler became the first two freshmen forwards to start under Guy V. Lewis.
A 2002 graduate of the University of Houston, Young and his wife, Tina, have five children: Michael Jr., Joseph, Mayorca, Jacob and Milan Maria.
