By ALAN HOSKINS
KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Kansas City Kanas Community College has lost sophomore forward Clay Young of Lansing for the season.
Tests confirmed Tuesday that Young had suffered a torn ACL in the Blue Devils’ 78-70 win over St. Louis Community College Saturday night.
One of only two returning veterans from last year, the 6-4 forward averaged 10.0 points and was the second leading rebounder with 5.6 per game as a freshman.
He had personal highs of 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Young was playing in only his second game this season when he was injured. He had nine points and four rebounds in his only other game,
Young was a first team All-KVL selection and 5A all-state honorable mention at Lansing, where he averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
“A big loss; a big, big loss,” said KCKCC Coach Kelley Newton. “Not only was he one of only two returnees but he was an emotional and court leader for us; he could help guys on the floor while playing. But his future remains bright. He’s a great young man, good student, hard worker. He’ll get a medical redshirt so he’ll still have three years of college eligibility.”
This is the second year in a row that Newton lost one of his two returning veterans. Last year, guard Antonio Winn suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the season.