Journey of Learning: Kalif Young On Learning and Adjusting While Playing Basketball Globally

Kalif Young’s basketball journey started on the soccer pitch.

Growing up in Vaughan, Ontario, which is located just north of Toronto, Young grew up as an avid soccer player. Even though he enjoyed playing soccer, Young’s large stature became an issue as he grew older.

“These kids used to ask for my birth certificate and stuff”, said Young, chuckling at the thought, “They used to ask why I wasn’t playing basketball instead.”

At the age of ten, Young decided to try playing basketball for the first time to see what it was all about.

“It was a perfect match”, proclaimed Young, as he pondered his first time playing basketball.

As he improved his skills and trained, Young started to play competitive basketball for several rep programs throughout Toronto, eventually ending up at Orangeville Prep, an elite basketball preparatory school in Mono, Ontario. As a six foot nine center, he played at Orangeville, throughout high school, alongside NBA star, Jamal Murray, and other future NBA players, including Thon Maker.

“There was so much competition at Orangeville when I was there. And I felt it was a gamble at the time, playing there. I wanted to see how far I could get in basketball.”

And it did pay off, with Young getting offered a spot to play for eight different Division One basketball teams, including Alabama, Vanderbilt, Providence, and Marquette. Ultimately, he accepted the offer to play for Big East powerhouse, Providence Friars, during the 2016–2017 season. Young’s reasoning for choosing to play for the Friars was his desire to play under Friars head coach, Ed Cooley, who Young described as having a brilliant outlook on the game.

However, Young’s journey to Providence wasn’t an entirely smooth transition, as he detailed his experience moving away from home as a jarring new experience, met with many obstacles.

Young described how his biggest obstacle was actually something incredibly common amongst many college students: living by himself.

“It’s really difficult learning how to live by yourself. Learning how to balance school with basketball. It almost feels like I was always out of time.”

After slowly adjusting to college life, Young explained that his solution to this problem was to create a routine.

“Some of the guys would take a five-minute nap before classes, just to feel energized. I think the biggest thing is just creating a plan…creating a roadmap for college. Like I said, it always seems like there is never enough time, but when you have a routine, you just adjust to it”.

Young’s career at Providence was a successful one. He averaged four points and four rebounds during his college career. His strong defensive aptitude, screening skills, and rebounding ability, cemented Young as an important piece of the team. As well, in his senior year, Young was awarded the Friar Men’s Basketball Marvin Barnes Defensive Player Award.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfvW3wtFI7Q&ab_channel=Friarbasketball

When asked about what he was most proud of during his time with Providence, Young said it was graduating with a degree in Business Management. He also explained how he achieved the award for the Big East Honour Roll, throughout all four years of college.

“A lot of people discount your degree when you’re an athlete, but for me it was huge. To me, it’s up there alongside going to the Big East Finals and playing in the NCAA tournament”.

Friars coach, Ed Cooley, also had some words of praise for Young, after his four-year stint with the Friars.

“I couldn’t be more proud of [Young] on his development,” said Cooley, “He has great things ahead of him”.

For Young, the next step after playing in college was playing basketball professionally overseas.

“I love the sport”, said Young with a smile “So it was great to make some money off of it”.

He started off his professional career playing for Turkish team, Bornova in 2020, where he averaged nearly eleven points and nine rebounds per game. The season after, he played for Czarni Słupsk, of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). His play in the PLK paved the way for a call-up to play for Canada’s national team in 2021.

“I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to play for Canada”, said Young, as he reflected on Canada’s influence on his career, “One thing that I have with me [in Germany] is my Canada jersey”.

After playing for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the CEBL in the summer of 2021, Young currently resides in Germany, where he plays professionally for Medi Bayreuth, in the Basketball Bundesliga, the highest level of professional basketball in Germany.

And through his global journey, Young continues to stick with the tenants he learned when he was alone for the first time after arriving at Providence.

“I continue to roadmap. Same as I did through college”, said Young, “The journey [from Orangeville to Providence] really taught me a lot about basketball, but even more about myself. And that is the most important thing.”