Jaydon Young's Confidence, Preparation Pay Off for UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Jonathan Powell, Kyan Evans and James Brown — already showered and in street clothes — walked through the players’ lounge on their way out of the Smith Center after Saturday night’s win over Wake Forest as Jaydon Young, still in uniform, spoke with reporters.

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The trio stopped, grinned, and locked eyes with Young and began chanting “Jay-trench” until the Goldsboro, N.C. native finally acknowledged them, a quick smirk meant to keep things moving.

Young finished Saturday’s win over the Demon Deacons an an unsung hero, adding 12 points off the UNC bench in 20 minutes played — both season-highs — shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

“We don’t win the game without him,” Hubert Davis said afterwards.  

Saturday’s spark off the bench offered the first significant glimpse for anyone outside the program of what the Virginia Tech transfer can provide.

“He can shoot it,” Caleb Wilson said of Young’s performance. “Whenever we’re playing against the scout team, he’s always gonna make shots and really push us, so it’s nothing new, nothing I didn’t expect.”

Young spent his first two seasons in Blacksburg and initially committed to High Point out of last season’s transfer portal, but the lifelong Tar Heel flipped to North Carolina in April, joining a transfer class that already by then included Powell, Evans, Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson.

Young started 10 games for the Hokies last season, averaging just over eight points per game for Mike Young’s squad, showing flashes of scoring ability toward the season’s end. In Virginia Tech’s final six ACC games, Young averaged 16.3 points, including a 27-point outburst against Miami on Feb. 22 that included five 3-pointers. 

“I knew my number would get called eventually, but just working through it, being able to keep my mind and everything clear, being positive for my teammates, supporting them,” Young said of his mindset going into Saturday. “If that was my role tonight I was completely fine.”

Amid a near-total overhaul of North Carolina’s backcourt this season, Young — until Saturday — hadn’t heard his name called much by Hubert Davis. His only games playing 10-plus minutes had come against Radford, East Tennessee State, and East Carolina.

Entering Saturday, Young was averaging 1.5 points per game, playing fewer than six minutes per game over UNC’s last four contests, and hadn’t even attempted a field goal in North Carolina’s first two conference matchups.

“I went through similar things at (Virginia) Tech of course, I didn’t play every single night,” Young said of how he’s managed his low usage this season. “As college goes on, I guess you can get a little bit more sense of how to go about things. But I just stayed positive, clapped for my teammates, and of course, I came into practice every day with 100% confidence. Just do what I do, and then when they call my name, I’ll be ready.” 

In nine minutes off the bench in Saturday’s first half, Young poured in eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. Davis rewarded the burst with another 10 minutes after halftime, including — most notably — the final 3:22 of the game.

Greater than halfway through North Carolina’s season, consistent inconsistency might be a generous way to describe the Tar Heels’ guard play. On Saturday, Luka Bogavac, Derek Dixon, and Evans combined to shoot 2-for-15 from the field, for eight points. 

“If they’re not making shots, somebody has to,” Young said.  “And if I’m not making shots, I’m sure they would do the same thing for me, we have each other’s back.”

With Young flashing the kind of scoring punch UNC has lacked from a guard not named Seth Trimble, why not ride the hot hand in search of some stability?

“When — not if — your number is called,” Davis said. “I don’t know the manner of the timing but when it is called, your job and responsibility is to be able to step up. His number was called the most and he stepped up.”