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DWS star, Clemson signee Young shines at national All-Star game

• Out of a host of blue-chip recruits from across the country at last weekend’s Under Armour Capital Classic All-Star game in Washington D.C., DWS hoops star Andre Young shoots the lights out and takes home the 3-point championship.

Danny Aller

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Michael Jordan. Jason Kidd. LeBron James. Dwight Howard.

That’s just a select portion of the elite company Deerfield-Windsor senior and Clemson signee Andre Young joined last weekend when he participated in the annual Under Armour Capital Classic All-Star Game in Washington D.C., as Young helped lead his U.S. All-Star team in a win against the Capital All-Stars, 123-85, with six points, six assists and four rebounds.

But that accomplishment was simply a footnote to what Young did before the game.

Out of 17 top high school prospects from around the nation — signees from the likes of Duke, Georgetown, Syracuse, Maryland and others — Young caught fire during the Classic’s 3-point shootout, draining 14 of his 20 shots to take home the title and beat out St. Bonaventure-signee Marquis Simmons “It was a great feeling,” Young said Monday as he and his father, Colie, drove back from the event. “I was a little nervous when I first got there, but those jitterbugs went away fast as soon as got out there and started making shots.”

Young says he “clanked” his first two 3-pointers, then settled down and proceeded to make 14 of his next 18 en route to the title.

“Once I got in the groove,” Young began, “I couldn’t miss.”

The 5-foot-9 ex-Knights superstar, who signed with the Tigers before the start of the 2007-08 prep season, was joined at the game by fellow Clemson signee Tanner Smith of Wesleyan High School in Norcross. The duo not only roomed together during the event, but Young says the friendship grew so strong with his future teammate, they were now “like brothers.”

“I had already met Tanner before the All-Star game and we had bonded some then,” said Young of Smith, who failed to score in the game, but did contribute two assists and a steal in 13 minutes. “But I’d say our friendship escalated this weekend and it’s gonna be real cool playing with him next year.”

The All-Star game itself was a spectacle to be a part of, said Young, who walked away from the experience most impressed with the one guy he’d come there to see: Poland native and Duke signee Olek Czyz, the 6-foot-9 towering center who won MVP honors after leading all scorers with 23 points.

“I’d heard so much about him before I got there, I just wanted to see what he was all about,” Young said. “Well, not only did he live up to the hype, but he’s a real cool guy off the court.”

Young also added that between he, Smith, Cyzk and the four other signees set to play for Atlantic Coast Conference team next season (Deividas Dulkys, Florida State; Sylvan Landesberg, Virginia; Sean Mosley, Maryland; Ty Walker, Wake Forest), there was plenty of pre-emptive trash talk.

“It was great playing with those guys and joking around,” said Young, who led the Knights in scoring from his sophomore through senior seasons, averaging 26 points a game last year en route to a spot on the GISA Class AAA state championship game. “We’re already setting the stage for next season.”

Speaking of which, Young will only be a full-time resident of Albany for about two-and-a-half more months before he’s due to report to Tiger Country.

And until then — just like this past weekend — it’ll be all basketball, all the time.

“I’ll be working on my game, training hard, getting set (for college),” Young said. “I’m just excited and ready to go.”

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