ARLINGTON – Coming off an all-region season in which he helped his team to a final top-15 national ranking, Montez Young Jr. has signed with the UT Arlington men's basketball team, keeping a talented high school product in the area and bolstering the Mavericks' roster.
 
A senior this past year at Waxahachie High School just 30 miles south of UTA, Young Jr. averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game as he was named to the Class 6A First Team All-District and All-Region teams by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
 
"I am so excited about Montez becoming a Maverick," exclaimed new UTA head men's basketball coach Greg Young. "There was no other high school basketball player who I was more excited about this year than 'Tez. He played in a great high school program at Waxahachie for coach Greg Gober. They were ranked No. 1 in state of Texas in 6A for a portion of the season.
 
"'Tez is a tremendous athlete who plays with a high motor and intensity," Young added. "His intangibles come in the form being a great rebounder and defender. Montez is a terrific young man and exemplifies what we want from our players here at UT Arlington."
 
In a testament to the team success Young Jr. was a part of this past year, he helped lead a Waxahachie club to a 20-3 record and a district championship, finishing No. 2 in the state and No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps.
 
"Montez is a tremendous player with the highest motor around," stated Gober, his high school coach. "He is constant energy and action. He is the best teammate because he cares about his team – even when he was out with an injury, he constantly was the biggest and proudest fan in the gym."
 
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Young Jr. accomplished something that no other player ever has at last month's DFW High School All-Star Showcase – which featured 11 Division-I signees at the time – when he was named both the Unsigned Diamonds MVP and the All-Star MVP. Those honors came after two game performances of 19 points on 8-9 shooting, five rebounds and four steals and 24 points on 11-13 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
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