Shooter’s roll: Young finds his stroke for Manteca

Dwight Young shuffled around the arc, knocking down rainbow three-pointers during his warmup.

Feet set. Launch. Hang the hand. Swish.

Every point along the line was a sweet spot. Every shot a money ball.

Feet set. Launch. Hang the hand. Swish.

Manteca’s 5-foot-11 junior has been hot when it has counted most, too, knocking down 3 of 5 three-pointers as the Buffaloes torched Central Catholic last Friday 68-55 in a game that featured two of MaxPreps’ top-100 programs.

He had another five three-pointers in the first quarter of Monday night’s 79-41 win over Lathrop.

On a team regaled for its trio of 6-8 or taller Division I recruits, Manteca’s little shooter is making big noise. Since returning to the starting lineup during the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic, Young, the son of a collegiate basketball coach, has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games.

Young lives by a shooter’s credo.

“When I’m open, I’m just trying to knock it down and help us win,” he said after scoring a game-high 19 points against Central Catholic.

Young buried tone-setting three-pointers at the start of the first and third quarters, helping Manteca build an 18-point lead. He has a team-best 50 three-pointers and has tallied three or more in five of the last six games.

“I was feeling it. I wanted to come out and kill,” said Young, whose father, Dwight Young Sr., is an assistant coach at University of the Pacific and a former assistant at Modesto Christian. “I wanted to bounce back and get a good win.”

On a team that reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals and returned four starters, including twin posts Anand Hundal and Kenny Wooten and guards Tydus Verhoeven and Frankie Lopez, Young has emerged as a vital component to the Buffaloes’ championship dream.

Manteca coach Brett Lewis likes the versatility Young provides. The transfer from Lincoln gives Manteca another offensive weapon, a player capable of scoring in double figures on only a handful of shots.

Young is third in scoring on the team at 12.7 points per game, trailing Hundal (16.3) and Wooten (14.6). He’s also second in the state in free-throw shooting at 92 percent (68 of 74).

“We want to get our bigs rolling. Clearly, they’re good. The numbers show that. The last four or five games, they’ve been putting up good numbers,” Lewis said. “It’s nice having a couple guards knock down some shots and get wide-open layups. Our scoring is exactly where we want it to be. We feel like we’re firing on all cylinders the way we’re scoring right now.”

Young is averaging about nine shots per game, and though he’s shooting just 38 percent from the floor, he’s connecting at a higher rate (41 percent) from beyond the arc.

Against Central Catholic, Young shot 60 percent from three-point range, compared to 50 percent inside the line. On Monday, he was 5 of 9 from three-point range and 1 of 4 from elsewhere.

“It’s a nice feeling to have, knowing another guy can step up at any time,” Lewis said. “It’s awesome when guys step up. Everybody wants to do good things for the team.

“We’re pretty selfless,” he added. “We have a couple of guys I wish would shoot it a little more. But it’s a nice luxury to have instead of guys trying to shoot too much.”

With Young dancing along the perimeter, opponents are forced to pick their poison. Do they play the Buffaloes straight up, hoping their typically undersized post players can defend Hundal, a 6-10 giant with a feathery touch, or Wooten, the skywalking Nevada commit? Or do they collapse on the post, creating shooting windows for Young and Lopez, who have combined for 76 three-pointers?

No one has solved the riddle.

Manteca (17-3, 6-1 Valley Oak League) can claim a share of the VOL lead with a win over Weston Ranch (16-4, 7-0) on Wednesday. The Cougars currently occupy the top spot after a 72-68 victory over the Buffaloes on Jan. 15.

That night, Weston Ranch point guard Jaelen Ragsdale proved guard play still rules the high school world, scoring 28 of his game-high 34 points in the second half. Ragsdale scored 21 in the fourth quarter alone, including the final 10.

Young had 15 points in the loss and could be seen verbally sparring with Ragsdale, a Stanislaus State commit and all-VOL performer.

Round 1 went to Ragsdale and the Cougars. Young, with his muscle (re: Hundal and Wooten) in tow, hopes to return the favor Wednesday.

“Honestly, I just want to come in and hit big shots,” he said.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Shooter’s roll: Young finds his stroke for Manteca."