Washington Wizards Blog

After a coaching career that has spanned nearly 50 years, Wizards assistant Tom Young is hanging up the white board. Young, 74, has been with the Wizards for four seasons and has been a valued contributor on the bench, in the locker room and on the practice floor.

“Win or lose I will miss talking to Tom after the game,” said Dave Johnson, the voice of the Wizards who met with Coach Young for a postgame on-air discussion the past several seasons. “He could talk inside basketball and make all of us on the outside understand it. It always struck me that he had the experience of someone in the game over 50 years but the enthusiasm of a rookie.”

While some coaches/players/personnel prefer to use cliches after a big shot, a win or a loss, Coach Young always told it how he saw it and never sugar coated anything. Here’s a great of sound clip of him being frank following one of the most memorable shots in recent Wizards history.

If you’re in a reading mood, check out Dave’s 2004 story on the decades-long history between Eddie Jordan and Tom Young.

For those of us who have gotten to know Coach Young over the years, we’ll miss a great basketball mind, but more importantly a good man who would always greet you with a handshake and a smile. Enjoy a well-deserved life after basketball, Coach - You’ve earned it.