Albany High’s Jordan Young signs with South Georgia

ALBANY — Albany High small forward Jordan Young signed a letter-of-intent Wednesday to continue his education and basketball career at South Georgia State College in Douglas.

Young drew interest from several larger schools like Savannah State, The Citadel, North Alabama and Carson Newman. However, he wanted to stay closer to home.

“South Georgia State is a good fit for me,” Young said. “It feels like home and I want to win.”

South Georgia finished 27-6 this past season. Young said he was thankful for his time at Albany High, in particular, playing for coach Archie Chatmon.

“It was a wild ride,” Young said. “We had so many great times at Albany High. I learned so much from him and the program. It’s just a great program to play for. I’m happy to say that I played for Albany High all four years.”

Chatmon said he could not say enough about what Young meant to his program and the school.

“He has brought a versatility that we have been able to use for these four years, and it came to fruition this year with the great senior season — great defense, scoring,” Chatmon said. “He led the team in blocked shots and a great overall game is what he brought to the table this year.”

Chatmon believes that Young has a good chance to make an immediate impact.

“Moving forward, I think his versatility will lend itself to some playing time early on the college level, and eventually, I think he’ll move out to the perimeter as his main position,” he said.

Chatmon is not only pleased with Young’s growth as a player but also his character.

“That is one of his greatest assets,” Chatmon said. “We always want that great character guy and he is it. We never have to worry about him getting in trouble. He has a great family. Mom and dad have done a great job with him. That is one of the great things that he brought to our program, that student-athlete, that kid that’s an example of what students and athletes are supposed to be about.”

Young’s leadership made an impact on his teammates.

“It was a great experience … he was a great, hard worker,” forward Joseph Stone said. “He kept us upbeat and helped us win games.”