Young to return for his senior year

On Monday, Florida announced that center Patric Young will return to Florida for his senior season for the 2013-2014 season.

“I have the chance to finish my degree and play another season for Coach Donovan with great teammates and friends at a place I love,” Young said. “These first three years have gone by in a flash, and I can’t believe it is my senior year already. I have gotten better as a player and better as a man at the University of Florida. I believe God has my future in his hands, so all I am worried about now is getting better this summer and making it the hardest I have trained in my life.”

With Young coming back next, Florida will be loaded in the front court as transfer Damontre Harris will be eligible to play as well as newcomer Chris Walker and returning players Casey Prather and Will Yeguete.

Florida will also have the services of forward Dorian Finney Smith, who also transferred to Florida after last year.

The move for Young was one a lot of people had expected, since Young wasn’t projected high in the draft.

But Billy Donovan and the Gators didn’t pressure Young to come back but left the decision up to Young and his family.

“We’re excited that Patric will continue with us for his senior season,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “This was Patric’s decision to make, and he ultimately had to do what he felt was best for himself and his future.”

One of the biggest things for Young is to improve his offensive game. Last year, he scored just 10.1 points per game and shot just 48 percent from the free throw line.

If Young wants to be drafted high and the Gators want to have success next year, Young will need to improve his offensive game and also become a better rebounder.

For a guy Young’s size, he should have averaged more than 6.3 rebounds per game, something that Donovan talked a lot about last season.

Overall, this is a huge plus for Florida to have depth in the front court for the first time in years.

Young will be joined by Scottie Wilbekin, Will Yeguete and Casey Prather as seniors on next year’s team.

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.