UNLV forward Desi-Rae Young guards Northern Arizona’s Jacey Bailey at the Thomas & Mack Center Nov. 25, 2020. Young, who was not heavily recruited out of high school, was the Lady Rebels’ most valuable player in 2020-21.
Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 | 2 a.m.
The Rebel Room
UNLV basketball worse than Fresno State?
The UNLV basketball season starts this week as the Rebels look to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. That's likely going to be a tough task considering the program was projected to finish seventh in the Mountain West. One spot ahead? Fresno State. Mike and Ray discuss the season, and Ray expresses confusion about how the preseason poll has the Bulldogs ahead of the Rebels.
When the UNLV women’s basketball team runs sprints during practice, she usually finishes first. Hates to get beat, actually.
And during games, when there is a loose ball or contested rebound, she takes pride in being the first to the ball.
Some would say that’s just sophomore center Desi-Rae Young having a high motor, that often overused sports term for someone who displays good effort.
Yes, Young will tell you she tries hard and is a fierce competitor. But that’s not the sole reason behind her relentless mentality. Rather, last year in her maiden college season, Young was determined to prove doubters in her ability wrong.
Whether it was those college coaches who didn’t recruit her while she was at Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas or even her own coaches at UNLV for not making the true freshman an immediate starter, Young “had a chip on my shoulder. I wanted to show everyone that I’m the underdog and good at what I do,” she said.
The mentality worked.
Young not only became a starter with the Lady Rebels, she became their most valuable player in leading the team in scoring (12.7 points per game), rebounds (6.9) and field goal percentage (51.7%) on the way to being named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Not bad for someone whose only other Division I scholarship offer came from Pepperdine and who — like most first-year college players — had to get acclimated to the pace at a higher level of competition. That process was complicated by the pandemic, which delayed her arrival on campus to begin training with the program and first-year coach Lindy La Rocque.
“Coach Lindy didn’t know me at first,” said Young, who was recruited by the previous coaching staff. “I had to let it be known that I was a Division I player because nobody recognized me (while in high school)."
The breakthrough campaign appears to be just the beginning.
The 6-foot-1 Young is continuing to shine in her second season, being pegged as a first-team all-Mountain West selection in the preseason and posting 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks Tuesday in a season-opening victory at Oral Roberts. The Lady Rebels have their home opener at 1 p.m. Saturday against Montana State.
You get the sense that the program has a player who will be a dominant force on the inside the next three seasons.
“The message to Desi is, ‘You had a great freshman year. Now we need to continue to expand your game and improve because what you did last year won’t work if you are doing the same things,’” La Rocque said.
Of course, there is still plenty to work on — for both team and player.
The Lady Rebels surprised some last season in finishing second in the league and posting a 9-0 record in away games. It seemed only fitting that Young’s buzzer-beater against Fresno State in the regular season finale clinched the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Tournament.
But a week later in the league tournament, UNLV was eliminated in its first game by double-digits against Wyoming. The early exit was definitely on Young’s mind while training in the offseason.
“Preseason doesn’t mean anything to me because it’s before the season,” she said. “Everyone thinks it’s only me, but it’s the entire team.”
While Young has enjoyed success early in her career, the general consensus is she is only scratching the surface. Her free throw shooting percentage was just 59.7% last year and she needs to play under more control because she was foul prone. “I have to slow down a little, and use my length and not just my arms,” she says.
But, then again, those are good problems to have considering her first-year progress — and, of course, her relentless approach to the game. She can sprint from one baseline of the court to the opposite end in about 10 seconds, about two seconds quicker than the program standard of 12 seconds.
“She has high energy and a high motor, which gives her a chance to play harder than maybe whoever she is competing against,” La Rocque said. “Her improvement over the year was fun to be part of and fun to watch.”
