Michael Young, in his third year as a starter on the Pitt basketball team, is emerging as a team leader this year. That was evident in the Pitt News article about the St. Joseph's game. Young was quoted as saying:

Coach [Dixon] wanted us to outrebound [St. Joseph's] by 10. I told my guys to outrebound them by 20. We got the job and I'm proud of them.

It was also clear in the Detroit game's Press Conference after Ryan Luther scored his first ever double-double and Young and Luther were at the podium. Luther had a little twinkle in his eye when he was asked about his dunks that made the highlight reel, but the big quote came right after that when Young was asked about Luther. Young said:

As far as his improvement, I feel like he improved everything over the summer. He really took the weight room seriously, as far as getting his body right, getting stronger and quicker. He upped his conditioning and his confidence. I think his confidence is the biggest improvement as far as him knowing that he should be out there playing, and knowing that when he gets out there that he belongs. He’s going out there and making plays and no matter who he guards he’s putting in a good effort on defense. In practice, the competitiveness is helping everybody.

Young is a fabulous positive leader for this team. That was just the kind of statement from a teammate that boosts a player's confidence. I especially liked the part where Young attributed Luther's growing confidence to "knowing that he should be out there playing, and knowing that when he gets out there that he belongs."

Young is not just a team leader, he is a very positive leader. Where does Dixon find players that have positive personalities to match their abilities? Does the way that a coach treats his players get reflected in the way that they treat each other?