Trae Young entertaining leader of the band and sometimes a solo act

By Staff     Jan 23, 2018

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Oklahoma guard Trae Young (11) shoots while being defended by West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

Norman, Okla. — If you’re going to be a ball hog, you might as well have range to 30 feet, the confidence of an NBA All-Star and deft passing skills.

And make no mistake, Oklahoma freshman point guard Trae Young is a ball hog. In his case, that’s a good thing, except when it’s a bad thing.

When Young’s shots are dropping, OU doesn’t lose. When they’re not, the Sooners are vulnerable.

Young never checks his heat and always plays as if he’s on fire. He took 39 shots in his 48-point effort in an 83-81 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. No other Sooner scored in double figures.

In games Young makes at least as many shots as he misses, the Sooners are 7-0, winning by an average margin of 16 points. They are 7-4 in games he misses more than he makes.
The Sooners are 5-0 when Young takes fewer than 18 shots and 9-4 when he takes 18 or more shots.

He leads the nation in scoring (30.5), assists (9.7) and turnovers (5.3) and is second to Oakland’s Kendrick Nunn in 3-point attempts (197).

“The system he is in is perfect for how he plays and the freedom his coach gives him,” Kansas senior guard Devonte’ Graham said. “It’s going to be hard to guard him. We just have to do our best to keep him from being in that attack mode 24/7.”

Kansas coach Bill Self recruited Young hard and was disappointed when he didn’t land him.

“I’d be lying if I said I thought he’d average 30, but I did think he was a guy who could get 20,” Self said. “I really did feel that way. And I always thought he was a point guard. There is no hesitation in me saying that. And though he can get his own numbers, I always thought he was an unbelievable facilitator and certainly had great vision.”

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