Joseph Young Transfers to Oregon

Dec 1, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Joseph Young (0) gets a rebound during the first half against the Texas A

Joseph Young, formerly a player for Houston, has transferred to Oregon. ESPN reported the news yesterday afternoon after they received a text from Young’s father.

Young who has one year left of eligibility will likely seek a waiver from the NCAA so that he is allowed to play this year. Normally, transfers must sit out a year before being allowed to play with their new team but the NCAA will allow them to play as soon as they transfer under special circumstances.

In this case, Young’s father, Michael Young, had been the director of basketball operations for Houston until he was re-assigned by Houston’s coach, James Dickey. Upon being reassigned, Michael left the program. With his father leaving, Joseph also decided to leave.

Personally, this does not seem to me like a winning appeal. Young was not being mistreated by the team nor was a coach who he expected to be coached by fired before his arrival. Those would usually be the terms for being allowed to transfer without having to wait a year to play. No one forced Young to leave because his dad did, it was a personal choice that he made and he should have to live with the consequences of that choice.

This is a big boost for Oregon whether or not he plays this year or the next. Young a guard who averaged 18 points last year, is a good scorer and will add some punch to the Oregon back court. The Ducks have had a good roster in the last few years and Young’s addition can only add to their skill. They have also had a lot of success with one year transfers with Arsalan Kazemi who came in last year and Devoe Joseph who was there the year before. Playing the transfer game is a nice way to add some talent to your roster without going the recruiting route and it seems like the Ducks have gotten quite good at it.