CHARLESTON — Morgantown High School has had a number of talented players wear the Mohigan uniform that are worthy of being remembered for the rest of time for their impact on the program.
The most recent, Sharron Young, will go down as the most-remembered, most-celebrated, and most-achieving member of the MHS basketball program. Ever.
Being a Mohigan is something Sharron said he wanted to do since being a little kid watching games inside the Rowdie Center at Morgantown High.
“I just remember being a little kid running around the gym and taking it all in, going to games with my grandpa,” Young said of his earliest memories at MHS. “One game I watched was Huntington Prep and I got to meet (future NBA player) Miles Bridges after the game and it’s crazy to think back on moments like that and then see how it all fell into place over time.”
Young cemented his legacy at Morgantown on Saturday in the Class AAAA state championship against Spring Mills when he knocked down the title-winning shot, a three-pointer with 13 seconds to go and trailing SM by two points 32-30.
The Akron signee received a pass from fellow senior Jacob King and drained an NBA-range triple with 13 seconds to go that proved to be the game-winner as Morgantown captured its third-straight Class AAAA state basketball championship 35-32 over Spring Mills.
In his four years as a Mohigans, Young played in the maximum amount of games possible in Charleston at the state tournament (12) and has an 11-1 record with his only loss coming in his freshman year in the state title game by one point, 47-46 to George Washington.
“Coming in my freshman year I was trying to learn and get better, I had a role that year and learned it early on,” he said. “I’m very thankful that I was able to play up with those guys my freshman season.”
He helped lead Morgantown in capturing three of its four state championships with the most recent being the third straight. Sharron was named to the Class AAAA all-tournament team while also being named the Most Outstanding Player for Class AAAA.
“It’s a dream come true,” Young said of his moment in the title game on Saturday. “Senior year, state championship, I just feel blessed for being in this position. So many kids hope and pray to have a moment like that and I just want to thank the man above for it all.”
Young averaged 20 points, 4.6 assists, 7 rebounds, and four steals through the three games at the 2024 state tournament.
For the 2024 regular season, Sharron averaged 22.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 apg, and a whipping 6.1 steals per contest playing 25 minutes a night.
In four years at Morgantown (88 games) he averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 steals. These numbers do not include the totals of the 2024 postseason.
On February 3rd, Sharron earned another outstanding achievement for his career when he became the new all-time leading scorer at MHS, breaking a 68-year record that was held by Jay Jacobs.
Young will now finish his senior year at MHS before moving on to join Akron in the fall. He will be joining a Zips program that has enjoyed some good success over recent years, including a 20-win season for the last three years.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” he said. “It’ll feel sort of like my freshman year at Morgantown, I will come in with a role and try and do what I can for the team and work hard to continue getting better.”
Despite being close to leaving his hometown of Morgantown and the community of MHS, Sharron says he couldn’t ever forget the love and support he’s been given.
“It’s been a blessing this past four years, I want to thank Coach (Dave) Tallman, my teammates and coaches, everyone that was there for me,” Young said. “I felt a little down today when my shot wasn’t falling but my brothers kept cheering me on and kept the same confidence in me that they always have.
“Morgantown is a great community that has supported us from day one, our baseball team is playing close in Hurricane this weekend so they stayed the night and came to the game today, it means a lot. I just want to thank the entire Morgantown family for their support.”