Mr. Young, standing at a whopping 6 ‘1, grabs the rebound, dribbles it down to the 3 point arc, he shoots and he scores! Coming from Jonathan Law, Daniel Young is not only new to the Masuk teaching community but he has also taken to the court as head coach for girls basketball. Young had coached varsity girls basketball at Jonathan Law for 9 seasons and brought them their first league title in over 50 years. It had been decades since girls basketball had taken any titles at Jonathan Law and all thanks to Coach Young, Law is back on the map.
Young’s dreams of being a coach did not just come from watching basketball on TV, they were rooted in his childhood playing basketball at both Shelton High School, Salve Regina, and UCONN.
“I was a basketball player growing up and when I got the teaching job at Jonathan Law there was an opening as a freshman girls coach and I started there, really enjoyed it and worked my way up to varsity,” Young began.
Young has worked his way up the totem pole within the coaching realm and earned his fame coaching at Law, making him a profitable addition to Masuk.
Young has a plan to help strengthen Masuk’s program since Masuk has not won any league titles since 1995. This year has a different feel, as coach Young is trying to fix up the program, “remaking it fast,”he claims. Young is excited to kick off the season and is hoping to carry the team to consistent trips to the state tournament, saying, “All the girls have given a really good effort so far.” The team consists of girls all eager to see what Young can lead them to.
Maia Ventresca, a senior at Masuk, is patiently waiting for the start of her final season. “He’s a really good fresh start for this program and I think he can take us to where we want to be.” Ventresca has played basketball here at Masuk since freshman year, each season leaving without a title, so she is eager to see where this season takes her.
Sophomore Ava Moretti is also anticipating this year’s season. She says,
“Within the short few weeks we have been together as a team, this program has made noticeable changes. Our work ethic, bond, and accountability have all been improved and it is because of the way Coach Young pushes us each day in and day out to be better players and better people on and off the court,”
Moretti attributes the successes of the well rounded team to Young as he starts off this season in the right direction. Moretti continues, “I am very hopeful that we will have a lot of well played and executed games with the support of our coaching staff and we will restore the name of Masuk Girls Basketball.” Moretti is hopeful that the new face on the court will help to bring back Masuk’s once well known girls basketball team.
Jenna Smith, a senior on the girls basketball team for all 4 years of high school, is also ready for the start of the season. “I think with the new coach this year our season will be very successful.” A lot is riding on this upcoming season as the girls on the team see it as a fresh start with a supportive Coach Young by their sides.
Natalie Lieto, a junior within Masuk’s halls, has been playing on Masuk’s team for 3 years.
“I think with Coach Young we will make a very promising run in the postseason this year. The atmosphere is already starting to feel like a family and we can already see bits and pieces coming together for our potential success this season,” she begins.
Building a bond within a team is a huge step in the right direction to success. Lieto concludes saying,“This year already has a totally different feel, only being two weeks into the season.” Lieto is super excited for the upcoming start to their games and the team seems to truly trust in what Coach Young sees for the team.
Young came to help restart the program here at Masuk and it definitely seems he is off to a great start only being days into the 2023 season. It seems certain that all players are excited to see Young join the team courtside this season. They are excited for the road ahead even if it requires endless hours of work. Young and the team can not wait for a successful first season working together, eyes are on the League Championship Masuk!
Masuk Free Press 