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Jaw-dropping block confirms Patric Young a physical freak

spt-111222-patric-young

Mike Miller

Patric Young is a freak.

That’s no secret regarding Florida’s sophomore forward, a 6-9 forward with Superman’s physique and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He’s LeBron, but taller.

But until this season, Young largely remained a promising prospect. People knew he looked like a future pro, but he was so raw, it was tough to tell just how good he was now. Well, 12 games into the season, it’s clear Young’s potential is being realized now.

His scoring (11.0), rebounding (7.5) and blocks (1.4) all made drastic jumps from his freshman season and he’s doing all three at impressively efficient rates. But his physical gifts remain his best attribute. Just ask Bernard James.

From the AP recap of Thursday night’s 82-64 win:

Young’s block outshined everything else. He came out of nowhere to slap Bernard James’ baseline drive with his left hand, briefly pinned the ball against the backboard and then managed to cradle it in one hand. He followed with a dunk on the other end that pushed Florida’s lead to 44-36.

“That’s the best block I’ve had in my life,” Young said.

It electrified the O’Connell Center - and his teammates - and even impressed Hamilton.

“That was a very aggressive play that he made, as good as I’ve seen this year,” Hamilton said.


I’d agree with Hamilton. Young does too.

“Whenever you block somebody’s shot and pull it down with one hand, that’s making `SportsCenter,”’ Young said. “I just saw him going for the roll and I was able to time it right. I didn’t think I was going to rip it down. It was just perfect. It just came right in my hand.

“I’ve pinned someone’s dunk before. I haven’t ripped it out with one hand before, though.”

He’s a freak, folks. Seems to me the last freak who played at Florida made an instant impact when he went pro. Guessing Young will be the same way.

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