Class Three, An Inside Look: Chase Young & Jackson Kinley
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team inked 14 student-athletes as members of the team's 2014 recruiting class last spring, and the group was ranked as the No. 19 recruiting class in the country by Inside Lacrosse.
MGoBlue.com will sit down with each incoming freshman on an individual basis as the full class is released.
Midfielder Chase Young and long-stick midfielder Jackson Kinley are under the lights in this installment.
Chase Young • Midfielder • Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph Prep
On Philadelphia lacrosse ... I was in the Catholic Academy League, so we played many of the top teams in the area in order to advance in the playoffs. Other than that, we varied our schedule throughout my high school career, as we would play Malvern, Haverford, and then last two years we went down to Baltimore in the MIAA and played top-ranked teams.
On playing top competition ... It just shows you how you rank compared to the best of the best in high school. To see how talented they are is really eye opening, and it shows you where you need to get yourself to be.
On what would constitute a successful season ... I would say for the team to be a success this year, definitely be better than what we did last year by being .500 and make an impact in the Big Ten. We have to understand that the competition will be a lot tougher in the Big Ten and extremely difficult to manage, but our coaches will prepare us for that for certain.
On the freshman class ... I feel that we are meshing really well right now. We are always together so we almost have to like each other (laughs). So even that, were all great kids and Coach Paul knows that about recruits. It's just not talent, but people who are good people and show great character. Were all meshing pretty well and see what happens this year when we come together.
On his playing style ... I would say that my athleticism is definitely one of my top skills, but I also feel like my stick skills are definitely above par compared to other people. I feel that I can combine those two to have the best impact for the team.
On what he is looking forward to ... I'm looking forward to us being able to make that push and become an elite program, and to show that we have the talent now to make a stride. We can only get better from here, as Michigan has put in so many new athletic facilities and put in so much to the lacrosse program. It's kind of hard to be a failure at this point because everyone has put so much time in effort into how good we can be.
Jackson Kinley • Long-Stick Midfielder • Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge
On playing lacrosse at a smaller school in New Jersey ... It is definitely a smaller school but we did play top-tier programs (Delbarton, Bergen Catholic) every year and we held our own every year I've been there. I've made sectional finals each year but as for summer circuits, not too much with my club team, but more playing at incoming camps and showcases every summer.
On what needs to be done for this year to be a success ... My situation here is kind of peculiar since I am switching from short-stick to long-stick. I need to work a lot on my stick skills and take in what all the coaches are saying in a defensive scheme. Also, I need to learn from the upperclassmen, fix my bad habits -- just get better in every aspect of the game rather than just continuing those habits.
On the freshman class ... It's been nice. Everyone is really here for the right reasons. We are all meshing together well. We hang out all the time, especially in the academic center doing homework. Each person brings something different to the table, whether it is athleticism, lacrosse IQ, leadership skills, or just hard work ethic. All of us have impacted the team in a different way that will hopefully propel this program forward.
On his playing style ... I'm definitely more of a scrappy player; I'm not really a take away kind of guy. I try to play some more team defensive getting in on the back side and make sure I'm in the right spot at the right team whenever the balls on the floor. I really like to pick it up and push transition. That's what they really liked about me when I was getting recruited back a couple years ago.
On what he is looking forward to ... I'm looking forward to the step that our class, and the team, takes to get to that next step. We definitely have the talent to really compete in the Big Ten and be a successful program. We can make waves in the NCAA world, and show that we are for real and Michigan is a Big Ten championship-caliber team.
• Previous Entry: Parker McKee & Shawn Smith
Contact: Scott Kemps
