In Their Own Words: Mitchell Young on Matthew Dellavedova
By Simon Tryzna
In their four years at Saint Mary’s, Young and Dellavedova elevated the Gaels to a premier mid-major. (courtesy of Andrew Nguyen).
On Saturday, the Saint Mary’s Gaels will retire Matthew Dellavedova’s number four. His career is legendary. His stats are at or near the top of all record books. But for all the individual accolades that he has received, his ceremony tomorrow will be a remembrance of an era. Four 25 win seasons. 2 WCC Conference Championships. 2 WCC Post Season Titles. 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances. One memorable Sweet 16 run. Right alongside his journey was his friend, teammate, and roommate Mitchell Young. Currently playing for the Cairns Taipans of Australia’s NBL, here is what Mitchell Young had to say about the Gaels latest Hall of Famer.
On meeting Matthew Dellavedova and his first thoughts.
“We first met at an Australian team camp in 2006. My first thought was he was tough and a competitor.”
On when he realized that he will have a lot of fun being friends with Dellavedova…
“We were room mates at the Australian Institute of Sport in both of our second years. That’s when we became good mates. We both wanted to go to college and the potential of getting to experience the journey together was exciting.”
On being recruited together…
“We both did our college visits at the same time. We both visited Pacific and Saint Mary’s. We had discussed wanting to go to school together but that wasn’t how the decision was made. I knew from my visit that Saint Mary’s was going to be a great place to get better and have a chance to be successful. And the location, the Bay Area has my heart! I love it!”
On how big it was coming over to Moraga with Dellavedova…
“It was huge. Awesome to get to experience the whole journey with one of your best mates. It would be tough to go to a school by yourself as the only Australian and I have a lot of respect for guys who do. We had talked about wanting to play together in college and in the end it worked out better then both of us could have imagined.”
Best on-court memory…
“There are too many on court memories. We have played on the same team for 7 years. Representing Australia at the U19 world championships in New Zealand would be one highlight. All the SMC memories are obviously very special. Winning the WCC tournament in Vegas my junior year is a standout. The whole senior year on and off the court was the most fun of any years. Former players always talk about how quick college goes. When you are mid journey you don’t believe. Our senior group last year of Dell, Kyle Rowley, Tim Williams, Paul McCoy and myself really wanted to make the most of our last go round so we gave it everything on and off the court. It was a really great time. Some very special memories!”
Best part of living with Dellavedova for four years…
“Getting to have the whole college experience with one of your best mates. We’ve got some stories. He made me better as a player and person. As I said before, he gets the best out of people.”
Worst part of living with Dellavedova for four years…
“He is pretty good to live with. He was messy but he grew out of that. You will have to ask Beau Levesque that same question, he was our other roommate.”
On how much Dellavedova changed since the time he met him…
“When we first met he was this awkward kid from the country. Jorden Page and I used to laugh at some of the things he would do and the ideas he would have. But that’s just him. He’s different. He’s improved so much as a leader. He’s always been a lead by example kind of guy but he has taken that to a new level. He knows out to get the best out of everyone.”
On how often they still communicate…
“Most days we text and every now and then we talk on the phone. We discuss how his team and my team are doing.”
On how basketball has grown in Australia as a byproduct of Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova…
“It’s been really big with Delly getting in the mix and Patty having his best season in the NBA yet. Bogut and the Warriors are doing well and we have a young guy name Dante Exum who will likely be a lottery pick. Everyone back here loves the NBA. I read somewhere that Australia has the most league pass subscriptions of any country in the world outside the US. It’s great for basketball in Australia and I think our national team for the next few years could be the best it’s ever been.”
On whether young Aussie basketball players ask him about Saint Mary’s…
“Yeah people ask me all the time. We were lucky to have so many of our Saint Mary’s games televised back here. They ask what college life is like and the ins and outs of college basketball. Saint Mary’s has a strong name and following. I’m sure that will continue with Dane and the new young Aussies that are coming through.”
On who would win in a one-on-one: him or Dellavedova?
“I would get him. He can’t guard me in the post.”