Desi-Rae Young facts for kids

Desi-Rae Yvonne Young (born January 8, 2002) is an American professional basketball player. She played as a center for the UNLV Lady Rebels basketball team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She also studied Social Work.

Early Life and Starting Basketball

Desi-Rae Young was born in Inglewood, California. Her parents are Beverly Williams. She has an older brother, Omar Paul, and a younger sister, Rashida Young. When Desi-Rae was three years old, her family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.

When she was 12, her uncle encouraged her to start playing basketball. As a child, Desi-Rae and her AAU basketball team went to camps. These camps were held by the UNLV Lady Rebels basketball program.

High School Basketball Career

Desi-Rae Young went to Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas. She played on the girls' basketball team, known as the Diamondbacks.

Sophomore Year Success

In her second year (2017-2018), Desi-Rae was 6 feet tall and weighed 131 pounds. She played as a power forward and center. She led her team in many areas, including points (263) and rebounds (6.6 per game). She also made 60% of her shots.

The Diamondbacks had a great record of 21 wins and 5 losses. They were ranked #4 in Nevada. They reached the championship game of the Nike Interstate Shootout in Oregon. Desi-Rae's performance earned her special mentions and honors.

Junior Year Achievements

Before her third year, the Las Vegas Sun newspaper named Desi-Rae one of the best girls' basketball players in Las Vegas. UNLV had already offered her a scholarship to play basketball.

As a junior (2018-2019), Desi-Rae again led her team in rebounds (89) and shot accuracy (59%). She helped the Diamondbacks achieve a 20-6 record. They won the Southwest League championship. This was the first time the Diamondbacks qualified for the 4A state tournament. They made it to the semifinals. Desi-Rae was named the Southwest League MVP for her efforts.

Senior Year Highlights

For her final year, the Las Vegas Sun again picked Desi-Rae for their "Super Seven" Team. They called her a "once-in-a-generation player" and teammate. By then, she was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 165 pounds.

As a senior (2019-2020), Desi-Rae led her team in points (356) and rebounds (186). She also had a very high shooting percentage of 64%. The Diamondbacks had an impressive 24-3 record. They won the Desert Region Championship. They also reached the 4A state finals for the first time in their school's history. They finished as runner-up in the state.

Desi-Rae finished her high school career with strong averages. She scored 11.4 points, grabbed 6.8 rebounds, and made 2.5 steals per game.

College Basketball Career

Desi-Rae Young was not heavily recruited by many colleges. She received only two scholarship offers from top-level (Division I) schools. She chose to play for UNLV over Pepperdine.

Freshman Season (2020–2021)

When Desi-Rae started her first year at UNLV, the Lady Rebels team was not expected to do well. They were predicted to finish 9th in their conference. However, with Desi-Rae's help, the team had a great season. They finished with 15 wins and 8 losses overall. They earned the 2nd seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament. This was one of only three times in the team's history they finished in the top two.

Desi-Rae scored the winning basket against Fresno State. This win helped the Lady Rebels secure second place in the conference. In the Mountain West tournament, the Lady Rebels lost in the quarterfinals. Desi-Rae led her team with 21 points in that game.

As a freshman, Desi-Rae played in 24 games and started 21 of them. She led all freshmen in the Mountain West Conference in scoring (12.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.9 per game). She also led her team in shooting accuracy (51.1%).

Her excellent performance earned her several awards. She was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. She was also selected for the Mountain West Conference All-Freshman Team. She even made the NCAA.com "Starting Five" as one of the top 5 players of the week. In her studies, she earned Academic All-Mountain West Team honors.

Sophomore Season (2021–2022)

Before her second year, Desi-Rae was chosen for the preseason All-Mountain West Conference First Team.

During the 2021-22 season, she was named the Mountain West Player of the Week three times. She helped UNLV win the Mountain West regular season title. This was the first time the program had won it outright. Soon after, the Lady Rebels won their first Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament championship. Desi-Rae scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the championship game.

By winning the conference tournament, the Lady Rebels earned a spot in the 2022 Women's NCAA tournament. In their first game, UNLV played against Arizona. Desi-Rae led her team with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Rebels led after three quarters but eventually lost.

In 33 games as a sophomore, Desi-Rae averaged 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. She also had twelve games where she scored double-digits in both points and rebounds (called a double-double). Her season earned her the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award. She was also named to the All-Mountain West First Team. She was the first Lady Rebel to win Mountain West Player of the Year in 20 years.

Career Statistics

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