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Kalif Young Breaks Out

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Playing against one of the nation’s smallest teams in St. Francis, it wasn’t a surprise that Providence went to the paint early and often in their 64-48 victory.

The Friars were, however, without top interior presence Emmitt Holt who was nursing a sore hamstring, so Ed Cooley went with big man Kalif Young and he was rewarded with a 16 point, six rebound night from the freshman.

Foul trouble cut Young’s Providence debut short a week prior, and while he saw 13 minutes on the road at Ohio State, he’d yet to find his footing on either side of the ball.

That came to an end early against St. Francis.

Kyron Cartwright repeatedly found Young at the rim in the halfcourt set, while on another play the center outran all St. Francis defenders the length of the floor for a dunk.

“I think this game will go a long way in helping Kalif grow and develop,” Cooley said afterwards.

“I was glad to get some jitters out of him. I thought he was definitely a physical presence. I think this will go a long way in his development, his confidence. We’re going to need him to be a lot better as the season progresses.”

Young came to Providence this fall as one of the more underrated recruits in the Big East. A Canada native, Young pledged to PC in the spring after playing for Canadian powerhouse Orangeville Prep.

He was part of a critical spring haul for the Friar staff, as they landed Young, Holt, and top 100 wing Alpha Diallo.

Cooley sees Young as a foundational piece going forward, “He’s a great athlete. He’s a big, big part of our future, and he’s definitely someone who will be a household name once he realizes what he’s doing out there.”

Like many freshman, it may take a majority of his freshman season for things to fully click, but for a player who had scored just two points entering Monday night, this was a big step forward.

The lefty can run the floor, gets off his feet well, and showed a solid touch at the free throw line (6-9) in his first extended playing time of the season.

 

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

 

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