Ryan Young 'ready to move on to a new and different challenge'

The news that Ryan Young had entered the transfer portal on Thursday hit the Northwestern basketball community hard. It was the latest in a series of gut punches the Wildcats have taken in a season that fell short of expectations.

This was a big blow because Young was the heir apparent at center next season. After the impending graduation of star Pete Nance, Young would finally assume the starting job next season and get the minutes that many observers thought he deserved all along.

Young didn't tweet a transfer statement, so speculation naturally swirled about the reasons for his decision.

Was it a reflection of a disappointing season? Was it because he didn't get more playing time? Was it a sign that if he wanted to play in the postseason he would have to go elsewhere?

It was none of those things, according to Young. It was just a basketball player who, with his Northwestern degree in hand, was ready for a change of scenery.

"I have really loved my time here at Northwestern and enjoyed being a part of the program," said Young. "I had no issues with anything, just graduating and ready to move on to a new and different challenge."

Young, who spent four years at Northwestern, will graduate with his degree in learning and organizational change in June. He has two years of eligibility remaining if he decides to use his free COVID year.

I reached out to Young to request an interview after the news of his transfer hit Twitter. He declined the interview, stating he didn't feel it was necessary. But he responded via Twitter direct message a couple days later.

Young also had a final message for Northwestern fans who are rightfully concerned about the direction the program is heading right now.

"I would add that there are great players and coaches at Northwestern and I believe they will continue to improve," he said.

Young's departure, coming on the heels of the program's fifth straight losing season, was a bitter pill for fans to swallow. The Wildcats finished 15-16 (7-13 Big Ten) and were bounced from the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with an ugly 36-point loss to Iowa.

Young averaged 9.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last year in just 17.1 minutes per game. That was one of the fans' criticisms of head coach Chris Collins this season: that he should have given Young more minutes and played him more often with Nance. Young ranked just eighth on the team in minutes played, but he finished fourth in both scoring and rebounding.

Young was an old-school center who had sparkling footwork and an array of clever moves in the post. But he was a back-to-the-basket, low-post player who didn't seem like a good fit for Collins' vision of using Nance at the 5 and playing a five-out system, so he was relegated to the second team. Young also struggled defensively against more athletic big men, which no doubt influenced his role.

Yet Young played a starring role in perhaps the highlight of Northwestern's season, a 64-62 road upset of then-No. 10 Michigan State on Jan. 15. With Nance out, Young led the Wildcats with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. He put up 13 points and six rebounds in the second half as NU closed out a rare tight win.

Wins like that one were too few and far between during Young's career. After redshirting in 2018-19, he played on three Northwestern teams that finished with a cumulative record of 32-44 and won just 16 of 59 games in the Big Ten.

Taken at face value, Young's parting words would give many NU fans solace. But it's important to point out that statements from transferring players are typically filled with nothing but love for the program. There are almost never any criticisms or grievances about the players, coaches or school in players' farewells. Young's is no different.

And really, that's the way most transfers go down. Players and coaches within a program typically hold no grudges against players on their way out, and vise versa. Fans usually take transfers harder than teams do.

Regardless, the Wildcat program is currently in a precarious place. This was an underwhelming season for a veteran team that was seen as Collins' best since his historic NCAA tournament squad of 2017. Yet athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg decided to retain the coach who has made just one postseason tournament in his nine years in Evanston, for what many believe were financial reasons.

Northwestern is losing Nance and role players Elyjah Williams and Ryan Greer from last season's squad. They have just one 2022 signee, center Luke Hunger, coming into the program next year, so they will have to restock using the transfer portal.

Now, with Young leaving, too, the task of rebuilding the program and getting to a postseason berth of any kind got a lot more daunting.