2013 National High School Invitational: Pitt recruit Mike Young and St. Benedict's fall just short in NHSI title game, losing to Montverde

2013 Pitt basketball recruit Mike Young came up just short in his pursuit of the National High School Invitational. Young's St. Benedict's team was the No. 4 seed and after disposing of La Lumiere in their opener, they knocked off undefeated No. 1 seed Findlay Prep in the semifinals.

On Saturday, the team took on Montverde and held a large 36-22 lead at halftime. But Montverde stormed back and won in dramatic fashion. Trailing late by two, St. Benedict's guard Tyler Ennis (Syracuse bound) hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to give his team the lead. But Montverde came right back down the court, and Jayln Patterson hit a three-pointer with only two seconds remaining to give them the win.

Young played well in the final. He led his team with 19 points on 8-10 shooting and added 11 rebounds.

I didn't see the first two games but did watch most of the final. I'm sure that Young isn't always that good, but I was pretty impressed. He got into the paint and made things happen, as you'd expect from a power forward. But he also stepped out on one play and hit a long jumper just inside the three-point line. He's extremely active and could be quicker than other power forwards he matches up against.

It should also be noted that he didn't get many looks from his teammates down the stretch. Ennis shot quite a bit and the team wasn't looking for him all that much. It's quite possible that he could have had an even more impressive game with more touches.

Pitt still has four open scholarships for next season, so we'll have to see who they bring in. But with the departure of all three of Pitt's centers, Steven Adams, Malcolm Gilbert, and Dante Taylor, the team needs frontcourt help. Expect Young to play significant minutes next year. I doubt he'll become a star next season, but will likely be forced into duty almost by default.

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