IT’S SOPHIA

Basketballer Sophia Christopher Young undoubtedly has had the greatest impact on this country’s sporting achievements in 2005, earning her Searchlight’s Sports Personality of the Year.

The Layou-born Young lit up the NCCA circuit last year, leading the Baylor University to the championship.{{more}}

In the championship decider played April 5, Young led her team to an 84-62 victory over Michigan State, scoring 26 points, had nine rebounds and four assists giving her the accolade of MVP of the final.

The final was given national prominence when the Vincentian population saw her performance live on local television.

Her impact was such that she headlined the April 8 edition of the Searchlight.

Young’s accomplishments with the Lady Bears in her sophomore year were phenomenal.

Young was named the NCAA’s 2005 Most Valuable Player, MVP in the Big 12, MVP All Big 12, Tempe Regional Most Outstanding Player, Kodak/WBCA All American, Associated Press All American (second team), Wooden Award Finalist, Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy. In addition, Young re-wrote many basketball stats for Baylor with her stellar contributions.

Apart from these, she caught the eyes of leading sports magazines in the United States.

Young, who holds a deep commitment to God, was featured in the USA Today magazine and occupied the cover page of the March 21 edition of the famed Sports Illustrated. Young was also featured on sports network ESPN2.

Two of the more memorable captions read:

“Baylor Star Sophia Young has come along way,” and “Oh- so- Good.”

Sporting the No.33 jersey, Young was a menace to her opponents befuddling them with her deft skills.

She ended her Junior season as the leading scorer for Baylor, putting them to a 33-3 record.

Young ended with an 18.4 points average and recorded 9.3 rebounds per game, which pushed her to third spot in scoring and rebounding in the conference.

The former national Under-16 netballer has incorporated her early moves learnt while representing the Bethel High School and Hairoun Basketball Club to good effect.

Coming from a mixed sporting background, her name is fast becoming a household one in the sporting arena here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.