Indiana native Jackie Young returns to Las Vegas Aces as Olympic gold medal winner
PRINCETON, Ind. (BVM) — Jackie Young was never even supposed to compete in Tokyo. Weeks later, she came back as a gold medal winner.
It’s not the first time Young has made incredible waves either, as she is no stranger to basketball success, Back when she played at Princeton Community High School in Indiana, Young scored 3,268 points, Indiana’s all-time best mark amongst boys and girls.
A state champion in her prep career, Young stayed close by for her college tenure, becoming a standout at Notre Dame. There she helped lead the Fighting Irish to a national championship as well.
While Young could have returned for her senior season at Notre Dame, she opted for the pros where she became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces. Immediately, Young made her mark, earning a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie team.
In 2020, Young increased her scoring average to over 10 points per game, and has continued to build on that during the 2021 season. And of course, as a winner her entire career, she has helped the Aces to a league-best 17-6 record.
With the Olympics being held this summer, the WNBA stopped play for about a month in mid-July. While some of her teammates were heading to Tokyo to compete for the USA women’s national team as well in the 3×3 tournament, Young was prepared for a relaxing month off.
But everything changed while on vacation with her family in Florida when Young got an unexpected call from Kara Lawson, head coach of the USA women’s 3×3 team.
“It was crazy for me,” Young said during a meeting availability with the Aces last week. “I went back home and then I went on vacation for a few days.”
Seattle Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson — who was slated to compete on the team — was ruled out after being placed in USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols. As a result, Young was thrust into action, ending her break.
Welcome to the squad, @JackieYoung3
🇺🇸 #USAB3x3 x #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/8d6AamiUMS
— USA Basketball 3×3 (@usab3x3) July 22, 2021
Not having played any kind of three-on-three basketball for over a year, Young had to adapt quickly to her new teammates and setting.
“I got there a day later so I think I got two practices with them,” Young said. “I was just trying to catch up to speed, just learning the game. And then trying to catch up to speed with their plays and their defensive schemes. It all happened really fast but luckily I can catch on really fast so I was able to do that and I’ve had some great teammates that helped me out along the way.”
Fortunately for Young, one of her teammates on the team would be fellow Aces star Kelsey Plum.
“It was nice having Kelsey, just someone that I’ve played with for two years, someone that I’m comfortable with,” Young added. “I knew that she was going to help me a lot and it was just great being able to play with her. I know her game, she knows my game, so it really just worked out whenever we were on the court together.”
Stefanie Dolson and Allisha Gray made up the rest of the squad in the debut of the Olympic event. With Young now in the fold, the team did not miss a beat.
Team USA was dominant, scoring victories against Mongolia, Romania, Italy and China initially, and eventually beating France and Russia twice. Despite a hiccup loss to Japan, USA still made the gold medal game against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
Although it was a tight contest where the ROC made a comeback, USA would earn an 18-15 victory, taking home the gold.
🥇 GOLD IT IS 🥇
The U.S. Women take gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games!
🇺🇸 #USAB3x3 x #Tokyo2020 #3×3 pic.twitter.com/5wpVd1KSgA
— USA Basketball 3×3 (@usab3x3) July 28, 2021
“I don’t even know if I can describe it, really,” Young said about earning a gold medal. “It’s just something that you’ve worked for your whole life, something you’ve thought about your whole life since you were a kid. It’s just an amazing feeling. I was super honored to be on the 3×3 team.”
🥇🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/KWMZ1fG75Q
— Jackie Young (@JackieYoung3) July 28, 2021
As a legend back in her hometown of Princeton, Indiana, many locals were cheering for Young throughout the games. Once she returned home, the team also threw her a celebratory victory parade.
“There was a parade there on Saturday,” Young said. “That was pretty cool seeing a lot of my friends and family, just a lot of people that supported me back home. The parade was definitely a good turnout and it’s just amazing to see all the people that support me back home in Princeton.”
Now with a gold medal to her name, Young is ready to get back to work with the Aces. It may have been a long time off, but the team is ready to build on its successful first half of the season.
“It’s been good, everyone’s been really focused and we’ve had some intense practices,” Young said. “I think everyone is excited and happy to be back.”
Former Pistons great and current Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer continues to lead the team to success. Out of the break, Las Vegas has come out with two close victories against the Washington Mystics, with Young scoring 14 points in her first game back.
The Aces will take on the Connecticut Sun next week, and conclude the regular season later in September. A WNBA trophy will be the ultimate goal, but for Young and Plum, they already have something that may be just as special. And as Coach Laimbeer notes, it’s also something that will never be forgotten.
“The 3×3 people did their thing, it was interesting to watch,” Laimbeer said last week. “You can’t take that medal away from them, they earned it and will always have a gold medal in their back pocket.”
