University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Brandon Young
November 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Brandon Young is living a dream. The men's basketball senior guard comes from a Bulldog family loaded with Georgia graduates, including a grandfather, William Young, that played football for the Bulldogs in the early 1950s.
For the 5-foot-10 senior guard to be a Bulldog, and to have gone from a walk-on to earning a scholarship before last season, the Atlanta native couldn't have scripted this much better. He even scored his first career point last season, against Georgia Tech.
Young, who got on the court for a couple of minutes in Monday's home opener, recently sat down for a quick chat about playing for the Dogs, playing dress-up, chocolate milk and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What's something from your childhood that you really miss?
Young: I miss dressing up. I used to dress up a lot as a child to try to get a reaction out of somebody. I miss doing that. ... I did dress up for Halloween, but this was more of an everyday thing, just finding stuff throughout the closet.
Frierson: Was any one costume or outfit memorable or special for you?
Young: I used to dress up as a cowboy a lot. Also, it helped that my mom was an easy audience, so I used to always get a chuckle out of her.
Frierson: As we do this interview Halloween is fast approaching, so do you have a favorite candy?
Young: I love candy corn, but my favorite candy in general is Mike & Ikes.
Frierson: What's the greatest play or athletic feat of your life? I can be something you did in an organized game or something alone in your backyard that you remember years later.
Young: Probably just making the team here at Georgia and being a part of this team. Just having a dream of one day playing college basketball and then one day being able to achieve it.
Frierson: It's been almost a year to the day (Nov. 3, 2015) since Coach Fox announced at the preseason banquet that you were getting a scholarship. As significant days in your life go, where does that one stack up? It's a heck of a compliment.
Young: That's one of the top days of my life, for sure. I had no idea it was coming, it was a complete surprise to me, which is pretty cool, and it came like a week after my grandfather had passed so it was an opportune time to bring some good news to the family. It was pretty sweet — perfect timing and a complete surprise.
Frierson: Was it kind of a validating experience for you, confirming that you're part of the team and bringing something to the table?
Young: I always felt part of the team as a walk-on, included just as much as everybody else, but the scholarship validated the hard work, I guess, just like it does for everybody else.
Frierson: What's the best thing that's entered your life in 2016? It can be a movie, an album, food, music, a person — whatever.
Young: I used to never drink chocolate milk and then Connor O'Neill on the basketball team started me on it, and now I drink TruMoo chocolate milk like every day. It's been a game-changer for me.
Frierson: I did one of the these with him a few weeks ago and he could still be talking about Boston sports and Deflategate.
Young: Oh absolutely, and he wears those jerseys all around campus — jerseys and sweatshirts and stuff. He's definitely a fanatic.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do? Or what's something creative you wish you could do?
Young: I don't ever draw but I think drawing's what I wish I could do. I wish I could draw and I also wish I could dance like some of the guys on the team. They're pretty creative with their dance moves and I wish I could get into that a little bit more.
Frierson: What's another sport at Georgia that you wish you could play?
Young: For Georgia I'd love to play football, obviously, just because of the atmosphere and 92,000 people and the tradition. If I could be a professional in any sport it would be golf.
Frierson: If you could spend an hour with anyone who's ever lived, who would it be?
Young: I know he died just recently but I'd love to spend an hour with Arnold Palmer. He just seemed like the epitome of a great guy and I think it would be really interesting to talk to him and pick his brain.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
