Athlete of the Week: Trevon Young

Braden River High senior forward Trevon Young was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Class 7A Player of the Year, following the 2012-13 boys basketball season.

Young, who will play football for the University of Florida this fall, was a four-year starter and a two-year captain for Braden River. He helped lead the Pirates to back-to-back district championships his sophomore and junior seasons.

Young finished the year averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He also dished out 50 assists and shot 59% from the field.

I was flattered to be named the Player of the Year. It’s a big deal. I’ve been the Player of the Week, but never had Player of the Year. I went home and told my mom. It was exciting.

When I think back, I came here as a freshman and I was immature. My coaches and teammates helped me mature on the basketball court and in life. I feel like I grew up a lot through sports, both on and off of the court.

Winning two back-to-back district titles is something I’ll always remember. Those were the only team championships that I won in high school, so it meant a lot.

I’m going to miss the family that I have had with this basketball team over the past four years. Coach (Matt) Nesser and coach (Tom) McCarthy have been like the fathers that I never had. We developed a bond, and I knew I could always talk to those two guys.

I love scoring. There’s something about taking the excitement out of a player. Just scoring the (final) bucket and watching a player go down and drop to his knees. It’s exciting knowing you were able to win the game.

I want to be remembered for being a hard worker. My teammates that I’ve had and the ones that I’m going to have, I want them to know that I’m a hard worker. You can’t just have talent. You have to work hard in order to be successful and do what you do. The skills I have didn’t just come. I had to work at it and keep trying.