Recruiting Report: Trace Young (2018)

The state of Maryland has its share of prep schools, but if you're looking for the creme of the crop, you go to watch Mt. Zion Prep play. This season, the Warriors have at least 10 Division I prospects and have put together an impressive season that has included knocking off the top ranked team in the country, Brewster Academy. 2018 wing Trace Young has been the catalyst for this Mt. Zion Prep team averaging 15 points, five rebounds and three assists per contest. At 6'9, you wont find many players around that are as versatile as Young. His length, quick release and ability to shoot beyond the three-point arc make him a tough match up. What makes him even more difficult to guard is his ability to put the ball on the floor, handle it strongly and make plays for both himself and others off of penetration. Young is an Owensboro, Kentucky native who had spent time at Huntington Prep before transferring back home to Kentucky to star for North Hardin High School. During this time, he played AAU for Team Thad and was able to pick up plenty of interest from college programs across the country. "I was able to pick up a lot of interest from schools like Ole Miss, Illinois State and Michigan," Young told Prep Hoops. "Ole Miss and Texas Tech were actually my top two schools, but then I found out I was less than a half of a credit short, so I had to do a prep year." From his experience at Huntington Prep and playing with Team Thad, Young is used to being surrounded by high-level talent. Still, there's an adjustment when a player has to learn his role in a new program that features a lineup stacked with Division I prospects. "It was easy for me because I'm playing alongside talented guys," Young said. "I don't have to do everything. I can pass the ball to these guys and trust that they'll do something good with it." It doesn't take long watching Young to see that he's a natural scorer. He'll look to take advantage whenever his defender is caught sleeping and that includes in the paint, the mid-range or three-point areas. With that being said, Young knows how important it is for his future to develop discipline in executing offenses and working for the best possible shot. "Definitely my patience," Young said on what has been the most improved part of his game since coming to Mt. Zion. "I feel like I have all the tools already, I just catch myself sometimes going too fast and am getting a better feel for the importance of the pace of the game and learning situations." As we hit the halfway point in the season, it's only right for players to start thinking about what improvement they need to work on to prepare themselves for the next level. For Young, it's one specific aspect that will be crucial in him becoming an impact player immediately. "Just staying low," Young said. "I feel like I have a unique skill set for being 6'9, but I want to work on staying low with my dribble so I can be an option at the guard position once I get to college." Young has many of the offers still available from his high school days in Kentucky, but Canisius has been the newest offer thrown his way. Maryland, Rutgers and Howard have also shown interest recently. Young told Prep Hoops he doesn't have any favorites at the moment, but has a certain priority list he is using while enjoying the recruiting process. "Playing style is big for me," Young said. "I can go somewhere and play big or a guard. I like to get up and down the floor and play in transition. My second thing is playing time. I want to go somewhere where I would get to go and play right away, so that's big for me."