Young tells students they have something to give

September 22, 2015
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In his first meeting recently with the 2015-2016 edition of the Wofford men's basketball team, coach Mike Young had something he wanted to tell them.

"We have to make sure that everybody understands how special they are,"  said Young as he talked to an audience of elementary, middle, and high school students during the Coaches 4 Character program at Redemption World Outreach Center on Tuesday night. 

Young, who is entering his 14th season as head coach of the Terriers, was the featured speaker at the event that kicked off the 2015-2016 series for Coaches 4 Character. He told the students that just as all 16 players on his team are special, so are they.

"Everybody in this room has something special to give to your community, to your school, to your church group, to whatever organization you're involved in," he said. 

Young's comments come after he participated in presenting The Greenville News Coaches 4 Character Awards to Riverside Middle School students Audrey Ballew and Shubham Mahajan. The information shared about how Ballew and Mahajan help others fit right in with Young's message. 

"The words that were used to describe Audrey and Shubham -- kind, nice, smart, responsible, friendly, leader, determines -- if you posess any of those qualities you've got a shot to make your school, your community, your church better," said the coach who has led Wofford to the NCAA Tournament four of the last six seasons.

Both Ballew, who has volunteered with numerous organizations to help with a wide range of projects, and Mahajan, who not only participates in a variety of activities but also reaches out to help students who are struggling, found connection in Young's comments.

"He was talking about seeing (Wofford) fans and using them for hope and determination, and feel like my friends, my family, my church, everyone else in my life is doing that for me," said Ballew.

Mahajan noted Young's comments on leadership "and you should always help other people. I feel like I haven't helped the community that much yet, so I want to help the community a little more." 

​​By: Myron Hosea-- Greenville News

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