NORTH Vancouver's Kris Young was recently named the Canada West women's basketball Most Valuable Player after putting together a season of incredibly well-rounded play for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
Young finished top-10 in the Canada West league in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals. The third-year guard finished sixth in scoring with a 16.9 point-per-game average, sixth in assists with 3.5 per game, ninth in rebounding with 7.5 per game and seventh in steals with 2.5 per game.
Young, a Handsworth grad who helped lead the Royals to back-to-back provincial high school titles, also earned a spot on the Canada West first all-star team.
"We are thrilled that Kris bought her character and exceptional abilities to UBC," Thunderbirds head coach Deb Huband said in a release. "She was a contributor from the moment she arrived on campus but in just her third year in the CIS, Kris has stepped up to an elite level and has become an undeniable leader on and off the court for the Thunderbirds. Kris has the ability to elevate her game in relation to the stakes and she can be relied on for her leadership, determination and positive attitude. She leads by example every day in practice but also displays the courage and confidence to demand the best from her teammates."
Young's dynamic play helped lead the Thunderbirds to a second-place finish in the Canada West Pacific Conference with a 17-5 record. The season, however, came to an abrupt end when the team was swept 2-0 at home in a quarterfinal series against the University of Alberta.
Young still shone in defeat, putting up a game-high 29 points while adding six rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks as the Thunderbirds fell 67-64 in overtime in the clinching game for Alberta. Young made a slick skip pass to teammate Zana Williams who hit a wide-open three pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime but the T-Birds stumbled in the extra frame, hitting just two of their eight shots from the field.
