Leslie Galen Young (October 16, 1975 – June 5, 2021) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played two years of Division I

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a ...

, where he earned first-team All-

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

honors in 1999. He played professionally in the United States and abroad for 13 years, winning a Continental Basketball Association championship in 2007 with the

Yakima Sun Kings The Yakima SunKings are a basketball team located in Yakima, Washington, covering the central Washington sports market of Yakima, Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg and plays at the Yakima SunDome. The team competed in the Continental Basketball Associa ...

and an Australian National Basketball League championship in 2010 with the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Afte ...

College career

After attending Hillcrest High School in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, Young spent two years at

Northwest Mississippi Community College Northwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Senatobia, Mississippi. It was founded in 1928. As of August 2008, Northwest's enrollment exceeds 7,100 students. There are approximately 3,000 students on the Senatobia ca ...

between 1994 and 1996. As a sophomore, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player and a two-time selection for All-State. He was a NJCAA All-American and named to the All-Tournament Team. He transferred to the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

and began playing for the 49ers in 1997. In 1999, he was named first-team All-

, Conference USA tournament MVP, and Conference USA All-Tournament Team. He averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior and left UNC-Charlotte third in scoring, second in blocked shots and fourth in rebounding in program history.

Professional career

Young was selected by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

with the 48th overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft. After spending preseason with the Bucks, he played his first professional season in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) with the

Grand Rapids Hoops The Grand Rapids Hoops were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their first season was in 1989 and their final season was in 2003. Professional basketball later returned to Grand ...

and averaged 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was selected to the CBA All-Rookie Team. For the 2000–01 season, Young moved to Japan to play for the

Bosch Blue Winds The Bosch Blue Winds were a Japanese basketball team that played in the Japan Basketball League. They were based in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama. Notable players *Yoshihiko Amano * Deron Feldhaus *Makoto Hasegawa *Tom Kleinschmidt *Marcus Liberty * ...

. After a preseason stint with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, Young spent the 2001–02 season in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

with the

North Charleston Lowgators North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

. He later had a short stint in Venezuela with

Toros de Aragua Toros de Aragua is a Venezuelan professional basketball club based in Aragua. The club competes in the Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB). Notable former players - Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player. - Played at ...

. For the 2002–03 season, Young returned to the CBA and averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds with the

Gary Steelheads The Gary Steelheads were a professional basketball team. They played in the International Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association, and the United States Basketball League. They were based in Gary, Indiana, United States, and played ...

. After a preseason stint with the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

, Young played a second season with the Steelheads in 2003–04. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. He later had a stint in the Philippines with the Alaska Aces in the

PBA Fiesta Conference The PBA Fiesta Conference was a former tournament held during a Philippine Basketball Association season. Each PBA team was allowed to hire a single foreign player, with maximum height limitations set by the league, to play for the said tournament. ...

. After another preseason stint with the SuperSonics, Young played the 2004–05 season in Italy with

Viola Reggio Calabria Viola Reggio Calabria was an Italian professional basketball club based in Reggio Calabria, Calabria. At its heyday the club was renowned for discovering talented players who would go on to play at the highest level, for example five former pla ...

. Young split the 2005–06 season in Spain with Unelco Tenerife and in Italy with

Pepsi Caserta Sporting Club JuveCaserta (sometimes spelled Juve Caserta), also known as Decò Caserta after its title sponsor, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Caserta, Campania. The team currently plays in the Serie A2, the second tier of Ita ...

. The 2006–07 season saw Young help the

win the CBA championship, while earning

CBA Most Valuable Player Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) is the annual award that is handed out at the end of each Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season to the league's most valuable player. From the league's inaugural 1995� ...

and All-CBA First Team honors. Following the CBA season, he had a stint in the Philippines with

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...

. He lifted the team from a 1–6 start to sixth place at the end of the elimination round. San Miguel went on to finish fourth after losing to eventual champion Alaska in the semifinals. For the 2007–08 season, Young moved to Australia to play for the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...

in the NBL. He averaged 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds. Young had his fifth season in the CBA in 2008–09, playing for the

East Kentucky Miners The East Kentucky Miners were a professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association that began play as a member of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the 2007–2008 season. The Miners, announced in the local paper, ...

. He then had a short stint in the Philippines with the Alaska Aces. In December 2009, Young returned to Australia, signing with the

for the rest of the

2009–10 NBL season The 2009–10 NBL season was the 32nd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The 48-minute game switched to a 40-minute game. Preseason Pre-season training began for a majority of clu ...

as an injury replacement for Paul Rogers. He averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16 games and helped the Wildcats win the NBL championship. In 2010, Young had an 11-game stint with the

BC Titans The BC Titans were a professional basketball team in the International Basketball League located in Langley, British Columbia. The team name was announced on April 2, 2008 and the Titans started play in 2009. The Titans played all home games at ...

of the

International Basketball League The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The ...

. For the 2010–11 season, Young served as player-coach of the East Kentucky Energy in the ABA. He led them to an ABA Final Four and was named one of the ABA's East All-Star Team Coaches for the 2011 ABA All-Star game. In April 2011, Young moved to New Zealand to play for the

Hawke's Bay Hawks The Hawke's Bay Hawks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Napier. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Pettigrew Green Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Taylor Hawks ...

in the NBL. He helped the Hawks reach the final of the 2011 season, where they lost to the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. Team history The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...

. Young had a short stint in the ABA during the 2011–12 season with the Bluff City Reign. He then returned to New Zealand to play a second season with the Hawks in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. In his final professional playing season, Young averaged 11.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 17 games.

Coaching career

In 2016, Young became an assistant coach for the

Lane College Lane College is a private historically black college associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and located in Jackson, Tennessee. It offers associate and baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences. History Lane College was ...

men's basketball team. He spent four seasons with the Dragons as an assistant. He then spent the 2020–21 season as an assistant coach with the

Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, Fr. ...

men's basketball program.

Personal life

Young was the father of two twin sons, Grayson and Ellis.

Death

Around 2:30 a.m. on June 5, 2021, Young was in his mother's Memphis house when a car crashed into a room where he was using a computer. His body was found buried in the debris over four hours later while his family were clearing the house. Young's family were unaware that he was in the house at the time and had not told the police to look for him. The car's 19-year-old driver, Miracle Rutherford, was charged with vehicular homicide, driving without insurance and reckless driving.

References

External links

Australiabasket.com profileAustralian NBL statsNew Zealand NBL stats2008 interview with Galen Young
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Galen 1975 births 2021 deaths Accidental deaths in Tennessee Alaska Aces (PBA) players American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Tennessee Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee CBA All-Star Game players Charleston Lowgators players Charlotte 49ers men's basketball players Grand Rapids Hoops players Hawke's Bay Hawks players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Juvecaserta Basket players Lane Dragons men's basketball coaches Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Northwest Mississippi Community College alumni Perth Wildcats players Philippine Basketball Association imports Power forwards (basketball) San Miguel Beermen players Small forwards Sportspeople from Memphis, Tennessee Townsville Crocodiles players Viola Reggio Calabria players Yakima Sun Kings players