Sam Young (basketball)

Samuel David Young (born June 1, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), among other leagues worldwide. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The eldest of five children, Young was born in Washington, D.C. to single mother Marquet Craig, then 14 years old. She supported her family by working as a cable TV installer for Comcast, and moved the family nine times. By the time Young was in high school, the family had found its way to Prince George's County, Maryland. At Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Young led the Patriots to Maryland state titles in 2003 and 2004, averaging 24.6 points, 14.0 rebounds, and six blocked shots per game as a senior.

After graduating from high school, Young attended Hargrave Military Academy for a year as his high school grades meant that he would have to spend a year at a prep school in order to qualify for a scholarship. He averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds for a team that went 28–1 and was ranked second nationally among prep school programs. The basketball recruiting site Scout.com named Young its National Prep School Player of the Year for 2005. He also received the recruiting attention he had largely missed out on in high school, receiving offers from programs such as Georgia, Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, and Miami. He would decide to sign with Pitt; Joe Lombardi, then a Pitt assistant and now head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, speculated that Young chose Pitt because "[w]e were there when a whole lot of other people weren't around. He just wanted someone to give him some love."

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Young was listed as the No. 17 small forward and the No. 71 player in the nation in 2005.

Young joined the Pitt basketball team for the 2005–2006 season. He initially chafed at his role on the team; he wanted to display his perimeter skills, but head coach Jamie Dixon wanted him to play on the inside. Young nearly transferred to Kansas State after his sophomore year of 2006–07, but when the Wildcats' coach Bob Huggins left for West Virginia after that season, Dixon convinced Young to stay, indicating that he would have a much bigger role on the team in the upcoming season. Dixon's prediction was borne out that season; Young averaged 18 points per game, was named the 2008 Big East tournament MVP after scoring 80 points in the tournament, and was also named the conference's most improved player.

In his senior season at Pitt, Young averaged 19.2 points per game, and was given the honor of being a Third Team All-America. His 2009 NBA draft stock also increased after his spectacular performance in the 2009 NCAA Tournament in which he averaged 23.5 points in four games. He also received accolades from his opposition; Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who saw Young score 56 points in two games against his team in Young's senior season, including 31 on Pitt's 2009 Senior Day, said, "There hasn't ever been a player who gives us as many problems as he does."

Sam Young played for Team ATL AllStars in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. He had a team-high 29 points and nine rebounds in the team's first-round loss to Louisiana United.

Young was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 36th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.