Schaumburg product Tony Young brings winning background, stability to point guard position

Schaumburg High School guard Tony Young likes having the basketball in his hands, so much so that he even was carrying one when he arrived in Carbondale for his recruiting visit.

After Young signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play his college ball at SIU, it’s safe to assume the 6-foot point guard will have the ball in his hands as a Saluki for years to come.

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Young played on Schaumburg’s state championship team as a junior, and he averaged about 18 points a game on another solid Saxon squad last season.

He’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s competitive, and he comes from a good program, Saluki head coach Bruce Weber said.

He also likes to speak his piece. Young is rarely bashful on the basketball court, and he said even as a young player in college he plans to be an outspoken part of the team.

I think communication is the biggest part of the game, Young said. I’m the kind of guy that if something isn’t going right, I’m going to let someone know. It keeps the game going a lot smoother.

Weber is excited to bring a high school point guard into the program after having had to rely on junior college transfers Ricky Collum and Marcus Belcher for much of his first four seasons with the Salukis. Though both Collum and Belcher were effective, Weber likes the stability at point guard that Young should bring.

Schaumburg coach Bob Williams said there’s lots to like about Young, who switched to point guard as a senior after playing a forward spot earlier in his career.

He did a whole lot of everything for us, and he was a great leader as well, Williams said. He’s also a great competitor, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s going to SIU. He saw how the players from SIU competed with great intensity, so Tony felt like he could fit in.

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Weber called Young a solid defensive player who has the right temperament to succeed. He said assistant coach Rodney Watson compares Young’s toughness to that of former Saluki point guard and current assistant Chris Lowery.

Every time we called, he’s somewhere shooting or playing or in some open gym, Weber said. You like kids that love to play.

Williams said Young needs to continue developing as a point guard, but thinks the Salukis are adding a player with an unusual knack for success.

There are special people who really have a passion, and Tony really has one for basketball, Williams said. I think that makes everybody around him better. He gets people to play at a higher level.

But all that aside, he’s just a hell of an athlete.

It might be a while, though, before Young shows his stuff as a Saluki. Incoming junior college point guard Bryan Turner one of three players SIU signed in the fall is expected to be a mainstay in the Saluki backcourt next season. Considering Kent Williams, Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston have all established themselves as sturdy ball-handlers, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Young to redshirt next season.

You’ve got three guards returning, you’ve got Bryan Turner coming in, and now you have the luxury of [Young], so you don’t have to throw him to the wolves right away, Weber said.

While Young is expected to provide more of a long-term payoff for the Salukis, whoever is the recipient of SIU’s final scholarship may be a bigger part of the mix next season.

SIU’s top recruiting priority for the spring was to attract a post player to help compensate for the loss of senior Rolan Roberts. The Salukis have had a few visits from big men, and are expected to welcome more prospects to campus this weekend.

Weber was recruiting out of town Tuesday, and said he’s still unsure of whether SIU’s last available scholarship will go to a transfer or high school player.

Jay Schwab can be reached at [email protected]