University of Houston Athletics
The Silent Assassin
2/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2004
The month of May is often a quiet time for collegiate basketball coaches. Most have just come off the recruiting trail and are trying to make sure that their current players are getting prepared for a productive summer.
But, for new University of Houston assistant coach Michael Young, May 2003 has been anything but quiet.
Young was named assistant basketball coach on April 29 after serving as the Cougars' strength and conditioning coach for five years. The next day, his phone began ringing off its proverbial hook.
"When I came into the office that first morning, I had 10 messages waiting on my voicemail because our system only holds 10 messages," Young said. "I returned those 10 calls and after I was finished, I had 10 more messages waiting."
Young spent the morning returning 50 calls until he went down to celebrate some birthdays within the Athletics Department.
"People are still calling to congratulate me," Young said. "I have heard from coaches all over the Houston area and even had some coaches call me from overseas. Some of them, I have never met, but we will get to know each other real well in the future."
Young's popularity shouldn't come as a surprise since he was one of the Cougars' most successful players.
"No one played more games or minutes than I did here," Young said. "That is something that a lot of people may not be proud of, but it's huge to me because I know about the great players who played here. It is something in which I take a great deal of pride."
Not only does he hold the records for the most games and most minutes played, he also joined All-Americans Elvin Hayes and Otis Birdsong as the only three players in school history to net over 2,000 points and set a Southwest Conference record for most field goals made.
Most of his points were unnoticed since most fans couldn't remember Young making a flamboyant slam dunk like Clyde Drexler or making a key block that led to a deciding fast break like Hakeem Olajuwon. Instead, he became known as the "Silent Assassin."
At the end of the game, there it was in black and white. Young led the Cougars in the scoring column.
"I could have scored 40 points several times, but we wouldn't have won as many games, " Young said. "My teammates would have been mad because I shot the ball too much and wouldn't have passed it back to me in crucial situations.
Young sacrificed some points and is the only Cougar to play on four NCAA Tournament teams. As a freshman, he joined Drexler as a starting forward and helped lead the Cougars to the 1981 NCAA Tournament. One of his proudest moments as a Cougar came in his sophomore year.
"We reached the Final Four while everyone else was asking Houston 'Who?'," Young said. "Yet we knew who we were."
That year, the Cougars met a tradition-rich North Carolina team that included Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Sam Perkins.
"They had some great players make no mistake about it," Young recalled. "But, we were out there playing against them like we were playing against any other team. That mindset is what made us successful."
The Cougars returned to the Final Four the following year with one of college basketball's most famous teams, "Phi Slama Jama". Young led the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game and helped the Cougars advance to the National Championship game for the first time in school history.
Afterwards, Drexler told Young that he was turning pro and asked him, "What are you going to do?"
Young could have easily followed Drexler since several people assured him that he would be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. Yet, he felt he had some "unfinished business" at UH.
He returned and joined Olajuwon in leading the Cougars to the 1984 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown.
Young was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1984 NBA Draft before being traded to Phoenix in the preseason. He played that season with the Suns and also played with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. He also was a member of the CBA's Detroit Spirit for two seasons and was named the league's Player-of-the-Year in 1986 after averaging 26 points per game.
In addition to the NBA and CBA, Young enjoyed an illustrious 14-year career playing overseas in the Philippines, Spain, Italy, France and Israel. While in France, Young averaged 23 points per game and led the Limoges Club to the 1992 European Club Championship. This 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.
Following his international career, Young wanted to come back to his hometown and returned to UH in 1998 as the strength and conditioning coach.
"I consider this home," Young said. "It's a place where I feel comfortable and, hey, I was successful here."
In addition to serving as Houston's strength and conditioning coach, Young also returned to school and earned his bachelor's degree in 2002.
"After all I had accomplished as a player, I still wanted to get my degree," Young said. "I wanted to finish something that I had left unaccomplished and I wanted to set a good example for my children and the players.
"A coach can't tell players how important it is to go to class if you haven't earned a degree. I just don't want the players to take 20 years to get it."
Now, he is excited to return to the basketball court as an assistant coach.
"I can take a hands-on approach with the players on the floor and help them develop into better players," Young said. "Everyone thinks they can make a difference in these situations, but I have been to where most of these guys are trying to get. I have played in the NBA, CBA and overseas. I just want to show them how to be better than I was."
