Sports Profile

Sophia Young: Star on the Rise

By Monique Reuben

Given Name: Sophia Yvonne Young
Birthday: December 15, 1983
Age: 25
Hometown: Saint Vincent, West Indies
Team: San Antonio Silver Stars (WNBA)
“It Moment” of 2009: During the offseason, Young led Galatasaray, a successful sports franchise in Istanbul, Turkey, to a EuroCup title on April 9.

With the NBA playoffs in full swing, WNBA fans wait with anticipation, knowing the start of a new WNBA season is just around the corner. Come June 6, the ladies of pro-basketball will take the court. As in most sports, every now and then a player’s character both on and off the court makes you appreciate the game a little more. Sophia Young, 6-foot-1 power forward for the San Antonio Silver Stars may be beyond her years in terms of her athleticism. She’s only entering her fourth season, extending her contract with the San Antonio team through 2012.

Last season, Young earned All-WNBA first-team honors for the first time and helped lead her team to a league-best 24-10 regular season record—taking the franchise on its first trip to the WNBA finals. In the playoffs, Young averaged 17.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. Unfortunately, San Antonio was swept in the finals by the Detroit Shock. However, getting within reach of a WNBA championship will more than likely make it much easier for Young to clench the championship this time around.

After all, Young understands what it takes to win a championship. Before she was drafted fourth overall by San Antonio in 2006, she led Baylor University to its first NCAA championship. During her college career, the two-time All-American was one of only four women in NCAA history to score 2,000 points, post 1,000 rebounds, collect 300 steals, and boast 300 assists. She left Baylor as the Big 12’s all-time leading scorer with 2,480 points.

Adding more championship credibility to her name, last month in the off-season, Young played overseas in Istanbul, Turkey, leading her team, Galatasaray to a EuroCup title. Leading all scorers with 27 points in the final game against Italy’s Cras Basket Taranto, the championship win was a more than just a triumph. “Winning the Euro Cup was not only big for our club, but it was big for Turkey as well. We were the first team to win a Cup or a Euro League in more than 10 years which is a really long time! So with that being said, we made history for Turkey,” Young wrote on her blog, which she frequently updates for fans.

Not bad for a woman who grew up on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent playing netball. Similar to basketball, netball is a 7-on-7 game with no backboard on the hoops, where players are confined to areas of the court. Players must pass or shoot after three seconds and cannot dribble or run with the ball. The sport is popular in the West Indies, as well as several other countries.

At the ripe age of 15, the soon-to-be basketball star moved to the U.S., where she was an exchange student at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La. It was there that she developed her love for basketball under the wing of Bo Roberts, a local basketball coach who she has said taught her nearly everything she knows about basketball and helped her get a scholarship to Baylor.

Young’s work ethic has always been admirable. She’s definitely not one for showboating. Instead, she lets her game speak for itself and focuses on improving it during the offseason. She has even acknowledged that she’d like to specifically improve her ball-handling skills. Her humbleness is refreshing in a competitive sport like basketball.

Off the court Young is equally inspiring. A devout Christian, Young has been involved in Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry “that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults,” according to their website. Five years ago, she began sponsoring a young Rwandan boy through the organization. Young’s dedication to basketball and service to her community demonstrate that she is a star that will be shining for quite some time.

*As of press time, Sophia Young was overseas in Turkey and could not be reached for comment.

(Monique Reuben is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine and writes about Caribbean culture, entertainment, and social issues. For comments, please feel free to contact her at monique@islandvibesmag.com.)