Averaging 13.7 points per game, and knocking in nearly 80 percent of her free-throws, senior guard Brittany Young leads the Francis Marion University women’s basketball team in scoring both on- and off-the-line.

She also averages the most minutes played per game at 24.7—playing in every game this season. Young is second on the team when it comes to rebounds, assists and steals averaging 4.4, 3.2 and 2.5 respectively.

“I don’t see myself as better than anybody,” Young said.

With career highs including 25 points on two separate occasions and 13 assists, she may not be better, but she sure is good.

Born in Charleston, S.C., in August 1985, Brittany Patrice Young was welcomed by her parents, Randy and Patricia, and her older brother Kedron. She became one of many talented athletes in her family.

Young is related to Pierson Prioleau who plays for the Washington Redskins, Joe Hamilton a former Virginia Tech quarterback, as well as first-round 2000 NFL Draft pick and former Denver Broncos defensive end Courtney Brown.

Her brother played basketball for The Citadel and her younger sister, Brandy, is an FMU cheerleader and the manager of the women’s basketball team.

“My parents try to come to every game,” Young said.

They have been to every game this season. The other day they drove six hours from Young’s hometown of Moncks Corner, S.C. – where she attended Berkeley High School – to watch one of her away games.

But it is not only her parents that are taking note of Young’s accomplishments. Patriot fans are showing up in greater and greater numbers these days to witness the rebirth of a legacy.

“Honestly, it makes you feel good when kids come up to you and say ‘I love the way you play’ or ‘I want to be like you when I grow up’,” Young said.

When she goes home she is treated like a celebrity.

“They think I am a superstar,” Young said.

In a way she is. Young is part of a legacy. This season the five-foot-six-inch guard became only the fourth player in FMU history to accumulate 1,000 career points and 500 career assists. She is currently 23rd on the Patriot career scoring list with 1,098 points and fourth in all-time assists with 510.

Just recently she was named to the 2008 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 Team—which includes Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina. She is one of only two Peach Belt Conference players to earn the honor this year.

Some of Young’s past accomplishments include the 2007 PBC All-Sportsmanship Team, the 2006 Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament Team and being nationally-ranked for assists-per-game for the past three years as well as being a two-time FMU team MVP.

Young stands out academically also. She is majoring in political science and currently possesses a 3.44 grade point average.

She is a four-year PBC Presidential and FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic honor roll selectee, the 2006-2007 Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) president and a Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society member.

After all of this, Young has managed to stay humble and level-headed.

She frequently participates in community service projects with the rest of the team and attends Maxwell Baptist Church in Florence.

“There are plenty of girls on the team that have more God-given talent than me,” Young said, “But I strive to excel.”

Excel indeed – Young broke her rebounding career-high early in the season when she tallied 10 rebounds against Columbus State University on Jan. 6 during an 88-74 victory.

She described this game as a turning point for the Patriots who went 6-22 last season.

“The Columbus State win put the excitement back in the game,” Young said.

It was the fifth- of a seven-game winning streak for the Patriots that marked the best start of a season in ten years.

The excitement Young mentioned has propelled the now 25th nationally-ranked Patriots to their current top-position in the PBC standings with an 11-4 mark. They possess an overall record of 18-4.

Young attributes the team’s success this season not only to the hard work of the players, but she also recognizes the impact of the coaching staff.

“They sacrifice everything for us,” Young said.

The coaching staff, which was completely overhauled after last season, consists of first-year head coach Heather Macy and assistants Jami Cornwell and John Basaldu, who are also new to FMU.

“There is a passion and an energy level [Coach Macy] has. It just gets everyone excited about the game,” Young said, “We trust her. We believe what she tells us. Her just being the person she is motivates everyone.”

Young was never supposed to be a part of this passion, however. It is only because of a torn ACL that she contributes to FMU history books.

“It was the end of [my] world in a way,” Young said of tearing her ACL during the preseason of her freshman year in 2003.

You see, before coming to Francis Marion, Young had come to terms with the thought that she would not be playing college ball.

“I was not heavily recruited,” Young said, “I was just going to go to the University of South Carolina and focus on academics, maybe play intramural basketball or walk on the team.”

Then, as Young describes it, “Francis Marion picked me”. She went from not thinking she was going to play to the excitement of being signed on and then being red-shirted due to her injury.

“God works everything out for a reason or a purpose,” Young said.

If it were not for that injury, Young’s final season would have been the worst season in the program’s history. That would be ending on a low note.

She does not take one ounce of her achievements for granted.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Young said, “There are a lot of people that would love to be in my situation.”

Young, who enjoys cooking, reading and “normal things” off the court will graduate this May with a bachelor’s degree. She hopes to continue to play basketball either overseas or in an American league.

“There’s a lot that I want to do and see still,” Young said.

Eventually, she would like to open a restaurant with her sister.

“My specialty is spaghetti,” she said.

Whether its cooking spaghetti in her apartment, attending church with her teammates, or leading them to a victory, one thing is certain about Brittany Young—she possesses a humble, level-headedness that can only carry her in good directions.