‘Youngstrong’
From tragedy to glory, Ohio State’s Kyle Young persevered on tough path
First things first: Kyle Young is not broken, nor has he ever been. h This is the week of senior day for the Ohio State men’s basketball team, and Young’s mother, Mary, is enjoying a conversation about her youngest child and all the things that have endeared him to Buckeyes fans. But she wants to make one thing clear. h “We need to stop talking about him like he’s broken,” she says. h Yes, he’s dealt with his share of injuries during his time at Ohio State. But it’s not the injuries, or the lows, that define what Young has been about for the Buckeyes. h As he approaches Saturday’s senior day game against Illinois, he’s been defined by the toughness and heart that have carried him from tragedy to glory.
“He’s been through a lot, something that he’s handled pretty well for a young man that lost his father at a young age. He grew up quick.” Tim Debevec Massillon Jackson High School coach, on OSU senior forward Kyle Young
Through loss, a bond grows
The arc of Young’s college career takes a jarring and emotional loss about a month before his junior season at Massillon Jackson High School. His father, Mark, succumbed to a battle with multiple sclerosis that lasted nearly 30 years and confined him to a wheelchair for his youngest son’s entire life.
Such a devastating loss could have derailed the future plans for a 17-yearold rising basketball star, but that’s not what Jackson coach Tim Debevec saw.
“He’s been through a lot, something that he’s handled pretty well for a young man that lost his father at a young age,” Debevec said. “He grew up quick.
“Not a lot of people go through that, and it was tough for him, but he handled it professionally and he still set his goals high about winning a state championship and being a good player. He worked hard at that.”
As Young was grieving the loss of his father, he was in the midst of a recruitment that had him debating a choice between Butler and a coaching staff he was growing closer with and Ohio State, which was only a two-hour drive away.
The Bulldogs won that battle thanks to the special relationships coach Chris Holtmann and assistant Ryan Pedon built with Young and his family.
“They made it very personal,” Mary Young said. “I would get little texts from Ryan. I would get mail sent to us. (We) never got any of that stamped stuff from Butler. Everything was personalized, like a handwritten note.
“With rules and regulations they could not even come to the calling hours. I know that really hurt Ryan and Chris, because they really wanted to be there for me and for Kyle and my other kids.”
It wasn’t just basketball that bonded Kyle Young, Holtmann and his staff. There also were conversations during that formative time that intertwined their futures, leading Young to commit to Butler and then follow the coaches to Ohio State when Holtmann was hired to replace Thad Matta.
“They were incredible, calling to check up on my family, calling to check up on me,” Young said. “Through the recruiting process, sometimes we didn’t
even really talk about basketball, which was nice. They were incredible.”
The changes all happened pretty fast, but the Young family made time for one bonding trip. Four days before Kyle signed with Ohio State and one week before his arrival on campus, Mary and the three Young children all got tattoos reading “Youngstrong.”
Kyle’s is on his left bicep. Since then, he has added more, including a cross on his back with the words “Family Forever” at the top.
It’s an outward sign of the internal emotions Young has felt for the past four years.
Breaking out at Ohio State
Once Young was on campus at Ohio State, Holtmann held an informal news conference roughly a month after getting the job. Inside a conference room at Value City Arena, he touched on all the duties that come with trying to establish a new regime, from the need to hire a new strength and conditioning coach to what he thought of the likes of current players.
He also shared a specific vision for what a player like Young would mean to Ohio State fans who, he said, would love the type of gritty, four-year player they were getting in the Canton native.
“I just love him as a kid,” Holtmann said this season. “I love him as a player. He’s been so important to our program. It’s hard to overstate how important he was in adding on the fly.”
The addition almost didn’t stick. That first summer, Young was so homesick that he considered dropping out, moving home and getting a job. His mom, realizing this, reached out to the coaches to solicit their help. Each of the coaches spent extra time with the freshman, taking him out for meals and strengthening the bonds that would keep him enrolled.
Although he still goes home a lot, it got better.
“After that first year, it went away,” Mary Young said. “Don’t get me wrong: he still literally, he checks in on me every day. He checks in to see that I’m doing OK and what I’m doing and just keeps tabs, which is totally awesome.”
The journey could have gone any | 5C
number of different ways. Had Holtmann remained at Butler, it’s hard to imagine how Young would have handled four years of being five hours away from home. Then again, had his father not passed when he did, it’s hard to envision how the relationship with Holtmann might have been altered.
To Mary Young, everything transpired the way it was supposed to.
“I’m thinking Mark had something to do with that, because I’ll tell you it was definitely a dream come true,” she said. “Kyle always loved Ohio State. It was a total blessing (to end up there), honestly.”
When he is announced as a starter Saturday afternoon, possibly for the last time at Value City Arena, Young will continue the practice he began in high school. He’ll make the sign of the cross, kiss his right hand and point to the sky, eyes fixed upward.
“It’s my way of pointing up to my dad and knowing he’s watching over me and just recognizing him,” he said.
No doubt he sees. ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy
By Greg Zyla
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Entry price: $24,300 Price as tested: $36,745
his week, we’re driving the midsize 2021 Nissan Altima, now in its sixth generation and one of Nissan’s most popular four-door sedans. Delivered with AWD mechanicals in top tier Platinum dress, it is important to note that a well equipped entry level Altima S with front-drive starts at just $24,300 and then moves upward through seven more versions before arriving at our top line Platinum’s $34,100 base price. AWD is standard on the Platinum.
Our test drive features enhanced safety equipment that assures potential consumers they are receiving some of the best high-tech security as standard fare.
Our Platinum and every other Altima trim built features PROPILOT Assist, which is a handson driver assist system that combines Nissan’s Intelligent Cruise Control and Steering Assist technologies and includes a stop and hold function that can bring the vehicle to a full stop, hold in place and can bring you back up to speed when traffic starts moving again.
PROPILOT Assist with Navilink syncs with the navigation system providing additional information to better predict
the freeway ahead.
New features include Speed Adjust by Route that can help reduce your speed for tight curves and off-ramps, as well as Speed Limit Assist that gives drivers the option to quickly adjust the set speed to the posted speed limit. Both features allow for a more intuitive, enjoyable drive.
However, even if you buy an entry Altima S you receive the best in safety thanks to intelligent lane intervention, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, front collision warning, lane departure warning and all the traction and electronic vehicle dynamic controls.
Notable for 2021 is every Altima built features Nissan’s new driver-assist package that features blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automated emergency braking, and rear sonar.
Under the hood, our Altima features a 2.5-liter 182-horsepower inline-4 that delivers 178 lb. ft. of torque. Power transfers through an improved Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Fuel mileage is very good as the
front drive S trim delivers 28 city and 39 highway while the AWD models are 25 and 35, respectively.
In years past, the CVT transmissions have been troublesome, but CVT manufacturers (not just Nissan) have addressed concerns and today’s units are more reliable.
Although unavailable with AWD, Altima’s SR trim features a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with an industry first variable compression that delivers 248 horsepower on premium fuel. It’s the same engine as used in the Infiniti QX50. (AWD is also unavailable on the entry S.)
Outwardly, Altima’s aerodynamic motif is a combination of smooth lines and modern touches that satisfy most every consumer demographic. Other reasons for Altima’s success are Consumer Reports 2021 buyers guide overall recommendation in the midsize class and accompanying very good owner reliability ratings. Add in an Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety award and solid fivestar overall government crash ratings and the advantages of Altima ownership come clearly into focus when comparing the competition.
Inside, Altima’s cabin roominess is noteworthy. The layout is good and the rear seat folds 60/40 for extra room and trunk access. Platinum arrives with leather trim seating and eightway power with lumbar driver seat.
The passenger seat is fourway power while both are heated as is the steering wheel. There’s also traffic sign recognition, speed limit notice, intelligent driver assist and much more.
Altima’s handling is very good, as a fine-tuned independent front and rear suspension and automatic AWD drive system grips the road well.