Jitim Young

Jitim Young
Personal information
Born	December 19, 1981 (age 42); Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	USA
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	Northwestern University
Playing career	2004–present
Position	guard

Jitim Young (born December 19, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American basketball player. Young attended Northwestern University and gained notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.

High school career

At Gordon Technical High School Young averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. He led Gordon Tech into the Illinois state tournament were they advanced to the Elite 8 but were eventually defeated by the eventual state champs. Jitim was named to the Chicago All-area team and gained All-State honors. As a junior Young averaged 18.7 points, 6rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He was noted as one of the top juniors in the country. Young was named to the Chicago All-Area team and All-State. [1]. He was named an USA Today All-American honorable mention and a Blue Ribbon All-American. Jitim played in the Capitol Classic All-American game which is now called the Michael Jordan game in D.C. Jitim Young was also apart of the prestigious Five Star Basketball Camp "Wall of Fame." Five Star has discovered players like: Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Isaih Thomas, Lebron James, and countless other NBA stars over the years. At 5-star which is scouted by legendary Howard Garfinkle, Young captured 2 all-star MVP awards in the NBA division, sportsmanship award, Best Defensive player, and Young led his team to a championship as a rising sophomore.

College career

At Northwestern University Jitim Young was one of the top five freshmen scorers in the BigTen conference 2000–01 season. Sophomore year Young was vital in leading the Wildcats to a 16-13 record. He became a third Team All Big Ten selection as a junior, and his senior year Young was a First Team All-Big Ten performer and was honored to the All Big Ten tournament Team 2004.

Jitim Young was married to Tiffany Hackworth, also an alumni of Northwestern University. Tiffany and Jitim have a daughter Jayla Danielle Young.

Professional Career

2004-05 Phoenix Suns Summer league, Panellinois Greece (Athens)/ Belgium Dexia Mons. 2005-06 San Antonio Spurs mini camp, Chicago Bulls (preseason) Veterans Camp. Young sustained an injury sidelining him the entire year. 2006-07 CBA Minot SkyRockets, Dominican Republic Cupes (Santiago) 2007-08 Hungary (Budapest) MAFC Young was named All Hungarian honorable mention team averaging 20pts 5rebs 5asst and 4stls 2008-09 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)

College career

Young finished his collegiate career ranked sixth on Northwestern's all-time scoring list with 1,521 points. Also ranks as the school's all-time leader in games started (117), and also ranks second in minutes played (3,849), second in steals (215), tied for second in games played (117), fifth in field goals made (548), sixth in three-point field goals made (108), and tenth in free throws made (317).

He led the team in scoring, rebounding, and steals in his senior (17.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 66 steals) and junior seasons (13.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 47 steals). Young was the only freshman starting in the Big Ten Conference when he suited up for Northwestern in 2000. He led Northwestern to 8 conference victories in his senior season, the first time since 1968.[2]

Young was named to the 2004 first-team All-Big Ten as well as the 2004 All-Big Ten Tournament team.

Concluding his career that was also an article featuring Young in Slam Magazine. [3]

Professional career

Although having a stellar career with Northwestern and the Big Ten conference, Young was not drafted into the NBA. He worked out at many predraft camps and many coaches and scouts admired his hustle and work ethic but due to his size (6'2") and inconsistant shooting ability no teams took a chance on the guard. One predraft camp pitted Young against Big 10 rival and NBA lottery pick Devin Harris in which Young consistently shut him down defensively. Also in a pre-draft workout with Andre Iguodala Young displayed the talent and athleticism to compete at the NBA level. At Tim Grover's basketball facility in Chicago, Illinois, Young has shown the ability to standout on the court with NBA stars such as Shawn Marion, Dwayne Wade, Jamal Crawford,and Corey Maggette. [4]

Started the 2004-05 season in Greece, playing in ten games with Panellinios. Averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds. Moved on to Dexia Mons-Hainaut in the Belgian League, averaging 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 21 games. In 2006-07 Young played for the CBA's Minot Skyrockets playing in all 47 games averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He has since signed with a team from the Dominican Republic where he played for the team in the finals.[5] He will play the 2007-08 for MAFC Budapest in the Hungary League. Young is in the process of writing his first book, "Monologues of A Good Man" an autobiography on his life and challenges growing up on the West Side of Chicago, to his success as an athlete, and all the love, drama, and adventures he endures in striving to be a good man. [6]