Player Capsule: Macauley Young
At 6-foot-9, Macauley Young is one of the taller high school athletes in North Dakota.
He dominates around the rim and averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game during the 2017-18 season.
Young’s height along with his ability to score almost at will in the paint helped Shiloh Christian reach the state tournament this year.
The Skyhawks fell short of winning a state championship this season and took sixth after losing to Beulah, 50-47.
But Young has one more season to show the state and outsiders looking in what he can do on the court.
“I believe we’re going to go all the way,” Young said about Shiloh Christian’s expectations next season.
“We have a ton of experience. We showed we could play with the best, without any seniors. That just shows what type of team we are. We give it our all.”
Young, who dislocated his patella a summer ago hauled down the second most at the state tournament with 37 and the second most blocks with seven.
For a big man, Young also finished a cool 6 of 6 from the charity stripe.
“I feel my strengths are soft touch around the rim (and) I shoot free throws very well,” Young said about his game.
“I am a big body in the paint and so I can rebound and block shots.”
Young said there’s a still a few holes in his game but he’s working out at Sanford Power to patch them up.
“I think my weakness is athleticism but I’m working on that.”
He isn’t the quickest player on the court but he’s definitely comfortable in his body and can finish at the rim with contact. His foot work is pretty on point as well.
This offseason Young is playing AAU basketball for ECI and the TC Pirates. But said he’s getting ready for one more season with his Skyhawks teammates.
Shiloh Christian will lose just one senior in second leading scorer Jonas Mitzel who averaged 13 points and four rebounds per game.
However, Young along with six other juniors will be back for their senior seasons.
“I feel confident,” Young added. “It’s all in how you work.”
What’s Next:
Young will continue to work on becoming more of an athletic big man this summer. He’s also been on a few college coaches radars in the area. Young said the college programs he’s been talking to the most are Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schools Minot State University and the University of Mary. The University of Jamestown has also been keeping tabs on his play.