Young awarded second-team All-Big Ten honor
Maryland guard Jahmir Young was named second-team All-Big Ten by both the conference’s head coaches and media panel Tuesday.
Young, a graduate transfer in his first season with the Terps, led Maryland in scoring during the regular season at 16.3 points per game, shooting 43.3% from the floor and 32.5% from behind the arc. He also led the Terps in assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1.2) while also grabbing 4.8 rebounds per contest.
The Upper Marlboro native finished ninth in the Big Ten in scoring and 15th in 3-pointers with 40. The 6-foot-1 Young, a DeMatha graduate, was one of the best free-throw generators in the conference, finishing fifth in free-throw attempts (4.7 per game) and fourth in percentage (82.85%).
“I guess I’m a little biased, but I thought he should’ve been first-[team],” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said Tuesday. “I just think what he’s done for us in a year, where he’s brought us and he put a lot on his back. But, again, you can look at that first team and have an argument for every one of those guys, too. I think him just being second team, and I guarantee he was really close to being first team, is an amazing accomplishment for Jahmir Young.”
Three other Maryland players — sophomore Julian Reese and seniors Donta Scott and Hakim Hart — were recognized as honorable mentions. Hart and Reese were honored by both groups of voters, while Scott was picked by the coaches.
Young scored in double figures in all but four of Maryland’s 31 games, including 16 of the Terps’ past 17 contests. His season high in points came in Maryland’s 80-73 win over Ohio State on Jan. 8 when he scored 30 points.
While Maryland is entering the Big Ten Tournament limping, Young is coming off perhaps his best game as a Terp. In Sunday’s loss to Penn State, Young tallied 26 points — his ninth 20-point performance of the season — on 9 of 17 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and hitting a trio of 3-pointers.
Before transferring to Maryland, Young played three seasons at Charlotte and was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in his final two seasons. He was the first player to transfer to Maryland after Willard took over the program. Young is 75 points away from 2,000 in his career.
Reese, Scott and Hart were holdovers who chose to stay at Maryland when Willard was hired rather than transfer. Scott averaged 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Hart finished second on the team in scoring at 11.5. Reese, a St. Frances graduate, emerged throughout the season as the Terps’ top scoring threat down low, averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds.
“It means a lot,” Reese said. “Definitely work to be done there, and I feel like I can keep getting better and maybe make one of those teams next year.”
Senior forward Patrick Emilien, who appeared in 28 games and averaged 17.7 minutes and 2.8 points per contest, was Maryland’s representative on the Sportsmanship Award list.
Purdue forward Zach Edey was voted as the Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the conference with 21.9 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.
As the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday, Maryland (20-11 overall, 11-9 Big Ten) has a bye and will play the winner of No. 11 seed Nebraska and No. 14 seed Minnesota in the second round at approximately 9 p.m. Thursday.