Through the 2014 NBA Draft set for June 26 in New York, New York, Florida Gators center Patric Young will be keeping you up-to-date on his Path to the Draft with exclusive comprehensive blog entries here at OnlyGators.com.
The 11th player in school history to end his career with more than 1,300 points and 800 rebounds, Young averaged a career-high 11.0 points per game as a senior and also contributed 6.2 boards per contest last season. He is second all-time at Florida in games played (149), fifth in blocks (159) and dunks (142), eighth in minutes played (1,644), and ninth in field goal percentage (.577) and games started (107).
Young in 2013-14 claimed SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the first time but was also named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third-straight season, becoming the first player in league history to accomplish that feat.
He checks in for the first time as he is travelling across the country interviewing agents and making plans for how he will spend the next two months as he prepares to begin his professional career as an NBA rookie.
Welcome everyone to my Path to the Draft.
I’m glad that I get to share with you the process I am taking to reach my goals and hopefully see my dreams finally become reality.
I have always seen myself as Patric Young, a man who won’t be stopped, and I thrive the on the odds being against me. Welcome to my world. I hope you are as excited about this journey as I am.
Looking back on last season, it felt great to finally break that Elite Eight barrier, but of course, it’s hard to appreciate the things we achieved because the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to. We all worked so hard to get to a Final Four – starting back with the preseason workouts – but I can say that I am full of gratitude and feel blessed that in my senior year we were finally able to accomplish that and everything else we achieved as a team throughout the season.
I wish we could have won it all, but I loved the experience of being with my teammates and Coach D. This team was special, and this season will be something I never forget.
Gator Nation is the best and will forever have my heart. A lot of people wonder why I stayed all four years, and I tell them it’s because of the love and support from the fans and the once-in-a-lifetime college experience.
Being a part of a program that can win 30 games in a row was really something special to me. Also, I was able to graduate as an outstanding senior, a three-time SEC academic player of the year, an academic All-American, and I received a number of other awards including for things that happened on the court.
Since the season ended, I have spent my time relaxing, recovering and striving to finish up school strong by completing my last few exams. Also, I have been staying in great shape and preparing for the combine.
I just recently started the process of hiring an agent and am currently traveling across the country doing interviews. This is a subject we can get more in depth about next time.
Entering the season, I was just focused on getting better, winning, and leading this year’s team. The draft and the NBA were not on my mind. I came back to school for my senior year because I thought we had a great chance of going all the way. Up until the final buzzer, all I was about was a championship.
Now it is time to prepare myself for the next step.
I just want to once again thank all of Gator Nation for your support over the last four years. I loved every minute of it! I hope you continue rallying behind me both during my Path to the Draft and throughout my career.
Go Gators!
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