Fan following draws Young to UMaine

Even though she lives in New Hampshire, Tonya Young grew up a fan of the powerhouse University of Connecticut women’s basketball program and players like Diana Taurasi and Ann Strother.

The University of Maine women haven’t had the success the Huskies have had, but over the years the Black Bears have enjoyed a similar level of fan support.

That’s what Young has seen at the games she’s attended at Alfond Arena in Orono, and it’s a big reason Young told the UMaine coaching staff last Thursday she wanted to make a verbal commitment to play for the Bears starting in the 2007-08 season.

Young, a junior forward at Mascoma Valley Regional High School in Canaan, N.H., said she was offered a full scholarship.

She also was considering Vermont, New Hampshire, Dartmouth, Hartford and Holy Cross.

But her visits to Alfond sealed the deal. UMaine – and the town of Orono – also reminded her of the fans at Mascoma, a school of about 480 students.

“The atmosphere, the audience, it’s just like my hometown with the big crowds,” Young said. “They’re really into the game. I come from a very small town, so it’s not that big of a change for me. I just felt very comfortable there.”

Young also felt at ease with Maine head coach Ann McInerney and assistants Kathy Karlsson, Colleen Carbone and Kim Corbitt.

“I had been up to a lot of visits up there and I fell in love with the coaching staff immediately,” she said. “Ann, Coach K [Karlsson], Colleen, they’re so nice. I just clicked with them automatically.”

Young is at least the third member of this year’s junior class to make a verbal commitment to play for UMaine. Mt. Blue of Farmington’s Christina Mosher and Hampden’s Tanna Ross also will head to Orono in the fall of 2007.

Ross and Young both play for the same AAU team, the New Hampshire-based New England Crusaders, but that didn’t swing Young’s mind one way or the other.

“I heard that Tanna was going to Maine and I thought that would probably make things a bit easier,” Young said. “But it wasn’t a big part of my decision. I had already met the team a few times and I really clicked with them.”

Young said she averaged about 27 points and 15 rebounds for coach Edward Kehoe. The Mascoma Royals made it to the semifinals of New Hampshire’s Class M tournament.

Class M is roughly equivalent to a small Class B or big Class C school in Maine.

She was the Class M Player of the Year as a junior. Last year she was first-team All-Class M and was honorable mention as a freshman when Mascoma won the Class M state title. Young scored her 1,000th point in January.

Based on Young’s conversations with the Maine coaching staff, she said, it seems McInerney envisions Young playing forward – a Bracey Barker type of role where, like the Bar Harbor native, she would be more of an athletic post player.

“My parents and coaches tell me I run the floor very well,” Young said. “[Crusaders coach Kara Leary] tells me I’m agile.”

Young can also hit 3-pointers, she added, and considers herself a post player with quickness and range.

But she knows she needs to get stronger. Young weighs 161 pounds, so she’s looking to add some muscle.

“I really want to focus on lifting,” she said.

McInerney cannot comment on recruits until they sign a National Letter of Intent.

The early signing period is in November. The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the university and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.