Memphis basketball lands UCF point guard transfer Jayhlon Young
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway secured a commitment from UCF transfer Jayhlon Young on Wednesday.
The veteran point guard is the fifth player the Tigers have picked up from the portal this offseason. Young (6-2) has two years of eligibility remaining. The Dallas native began his career at Grambling State, redshirting there before moving on to Baton Rouge Community College, where he was an all-conference performer in both seasons. Young averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game for the Knights. In 33 games (12 starts), Young averaged 19.2 minutes per game in 2022-23.
“I’m ready to compete for a national championship. I feel like we’ve got the perfect team to do it,” said Young, whose half-brother, Jahmar, was on the Tigers' roster in 2022-23 but transferred to Texas Southern in April. “In my mind, I’m one of the best point guards in the country. With Penny, I feel like he’s the perfect coach for me to learn from.”
Young joins fellow transfers Caleb Mills, Teafale Lenard Jr., Jonathan Pierre and Nick Jourdain as newcomers to Hardaway's team. The Tigers have also signed Ashton Hardaway, Carl Cherenfant, JJ Taylor and Mikey Williams. Ryan Forrest remains committed to Memphis but has not yet formally signed with the program. Jayden Hardaway and Chandler Lawson are expected to be the lone holdovers from this season's Tiger roster.
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Young filled in as UCF's starting point guard while Darius Johnson was injured. He started the first eight games of the season and got the same assignment for four more games in January. The Knights were 8-4 with Young in the starting lineup. One of those wins came against Memphis in double overtime on Jan. 11.
In two regular-season games against the Tigers in 2022-23, Young averaged 8.5 points per game on 5-of-8 shooting from the field (4 for 5 from three).
Young shot 35.8% beyond the arc and 81.6% at the free throw line in his only season at UCF.
“He told me he wants me to be me,” said Young. “He wants me to be the head of the snake, especially defensively. He feels like I know when to be aggressive on offense and when to get my teammates the ball to get them going.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball lands UCF point guard transfer Jayhlon Young
