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Young, NCCU's first NBA draft pick in 21 years, sat alone in an Atlanta hotel room when he saw his name flash on the television as the 12th player chosen in the second round. "Wow," he said, "God is good." After ending his college career as the Eagles' top scorer in 2003-04 with 20.5 points per game, Young faced a long and tough journey around the NBA workout circuit. He had workouts with the Houston Rockets (May 24), Washington Wizards (May 27), Los Angeles Lakers (May 28 and June 23), Seattle Supersonics (June 4 and June 19), Detroit Pistons (June 14), San Antonio Spurs (June 15), Dallas Mavericks (June 17), Miami Heat (June 21) and Atlanta Hawks (June 22). "I knew I had real strong workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami and Seattle, and they all had good things to say about me," he said. "I felt it was just a matter of time." "I have endured and persevered through a lot of tough times." Young said reflecting on his life and basketball career. "I have always dreamed about playing in the NBA. I got a second opportunity at North Carolina Central University and now my dream has come true."
Ironically, the last Eagle to accomplish that feat is also the school's last
NBA draft pick. David Binion was chosen by Seattle in the 10th round as the
221st overall pick in the 1983 draft after averaging 22.4 points per contest
and earning All-CIAA honors as a senior. A year earlier, NCCU's Donald Sinclair
was a 10th round selection (217 overall) by the Washington Bullets. Then there
was Joe Pridgen in 1969 (Round 18, San Diego Rockets), Lee Davis in 1968 (Round
10, Phoenix Suns), and Ted Manning, NCCU's all-time leading scorer, in 1965
(Round 5, Detroit Pistons). Of course, the school's first and most notable
NBA draftee came in 1957 when the Boston Celtics chose future Hall-of-Famer
Sam Jones with the eighth pick in the first round of the draft.
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Young came to NCCU via Xavier University, where he saw his playing time diminish
after three seasons with the Musketeers. The 1999 Pennsylvania State Player
of the Year made a big impact during his only season in Durham, becoming the
first Eagle in 21 years to net more than 200 field goals in a single season.