Size no handicap for Young

He’s the second shortest import, next to Barangay Ginebra’s Rosell Ellis, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference but lack of size doesn’t seem to be a problem for Alaska’s 6-4 1/8 recruit Galen Young.

Aces coach Tim Cone says Young is a perfect fit for the team because he fills the vacuum in the three-spot. The local lineup is loaded with guards and big men but there’s a glaring gap in the small forward position. It’s a gap that Young plugs to a T.

From what he showed in Alaska’s game against Sta. Lucia Realty last Saturday, Young is a natural three. He slashes, creates, dishes, pulls up for a jumper, skies, and is in perpetual motion on the floor. His ability to play different positions is a testament to his versatility.

Check out Young’s stats in the Aces’ 88-80 win over the Realtors. He collected 27 points (on 13-of-25 field goals), 14 rebounds, five assists and four steals in 42 minutes. Curiously, Young never went to the line–and it certainly wasn’t because he didn’t aggressively attack the hoop. Could be a rare talent for eluding contact?

What’s scary about Young is according to Cone, we ain’t seen the whole package yet. "You still haven’t seen him post up–he does that, too," notes Cone. So if Young can play the inside game, he’ll be the only import in town with the ability to play all five positions.

Cone’s luxury is he doesn’t need a huge import to match up against the likes of Mark Sanford and Randy Holcomb. That’s because he’s got Ali Peek, E. J. Feihl and Don Allado to lean on for bulk. Throw in Sonny Thoss in the mix although the 6-7 rookie could use a bit more muscle.

Young, 28, can bring up the ball, play off-guard, swing to the three-spot, power inside and post up at center. Offensively, he can do

it all. His crossover is an anklebreaker and he elevates like a jumping bean on a pogo stick. A weakness is Young’s relatively lean frame (he’s listed as weighing 195 pounds although he claims to be 220) makes him susceptible to getting banged up. In the Sta. Lucia game, Norman Gonzalez gave Young a taste of PBA-style tailgating and they were whistled for a double foul after an exchange of rough stuff.

With the quick-stepping Young on the floor, Cone has a creator who can open up options other than Alaska’s usual triangle play. Against Sta. Lucia, Alaska did a lot of running–something the Aces weren’t inclined to do much in the past, preferring a controlled pace. That’s because Cone now has a greyhound brigade of Mike Cortez, Brandon Cablay and Young.

Again, the stats proved the point. Alaska scored 12 fastbreak points on 14 attempts compared to Sta. Lucia’s seven points on seven tries.

Cone says Thoss more than acquitted himself against Sta. Lucia’s veteran center Marlou Aquino.

"Sonny didn’t back down from Marlou," continues Cone. "He got that elbow from Marlou and I’m glad the refs finally caught it. Marlou’s been throwing that elbow for years and he’s been getting away with it. In the NBA (National Basketball Association), Sonny’d be listed at 6-9. You don’t see too many 6-9 NBA players run the floor like he does. He’s quick for his size."

In a moment of brilliance, Thoss dorve the baseline to open the fourth period and scored on a reverse layup to Dennis Espino’s surprise.

Of course, the outcome could’ve been different if Kenneth Duremdes played for Sta. Lucia, admits Cone. Still, Alaska balanced it out by not playing John Arigo who’s nursing a knee injury.

"When (coach) Al (Chua) played zone, we struggled a little bit and we could’ve used John to break it with his outside shooting," adds Cone.

Young was the Milwaukee Bucks second round draft pick in the 1999 NBA draft. Only two other imports were drafted by NBA teams–Coca-Cola’s Mark Sanford (Miami’s second round pick in 1997) and Talk ‘N’ Text’s Randy Holcomb (San Antonio’s second round pick in 2002).

In two years playing for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Young gained a reputation as a defensive stopper. He showed his defensive skills by limiting Sta. Lucia’s Lamayn Wilson to four points in the first period and making him bleed for his baskets. Wilson eventually wound up with 29 but 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter when it was too late for the Realtors to overhaul Alaska’s lead.

Young made a name for himself at Northwest Missouri Community College which he led to the 1996 national junior college championships as an All-Tournament pick. He averaged 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals in his second year at Northwest Missouri. Writer Mike DeCourcy described Young as an "explosive athlete with a physical style."

North Carolina-Charlotte reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament two years in a row with Young in the 49ers lineup. The varsity’s combined record was 43-22. A teammate was former Purefoods import Kelvin Price.

"He understands how to play basketball at full speed," said a scouting report in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Although he concentrated on defense at Charlotte, Young was a key offensive weapon. A soft spot was his .290 three-point shooting percentage in his first year as a 49er, a result of poor shot selection as more than a fourth of his attempts came from the perimeter.

DeCourcy said, "Young knows how to use his body in traffic and attacks the ball on the glass, especially at the offensive end."

It looks like as Cone says, Young still has more to show in the PBA.