CHARLOTTE - Former Northwest and Charlotte men's basketball standout Galen Young has passed away, according to an announcement from the Charlotte athletic department on Saturday afternoon.

Young starred for the 49ers from 1997-99 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1999 Conference USA Tournament. He was also a first-team all-Conference USA selection that year, when he averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds, helping Charlotte to a 23-win season and the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Prior to his career with the 49ers, Young was a legend on the court for Northwest from 1994-96, helping the Rangers to the NJCAA National Tournament as a sophomore and a sixth overall finish. He was named team MVP as a sophomore and was also a two-time All-MACJC selection, an NJCAA All-American and NJCAA All-Tournament Team nod.

Throughout his Northwest career, the Memphis native tallied 1,077 career points (7th all-time) and 637 rebounds (2nd all-time), adding 173 steals, 147 assists and 72 blocks. He averaged 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds over the 1994-96 seasons and ranks in the top 10 in 10 stat categories in program history.
 
Young was taken in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, just the second draft pick in Northwest history. After a brief stint in Milwaukee, Young joined Grand Rapids of the CBA, where he was named to the 2000 All-Rookie Team. After one season in Japan, Young returned to the CBA with the North Charleston Lowgators.

He would bounce in and out of the CBA until 2007, being named a two-time league all-star and the 2007 CBA Player of the Year after helping the Yakima Sun Kings to a league championship. He also won a championship in Australia's NBL with the Perth Wildcats and was a head coach/player for the East Kentucky Miners.

Young continued to play with various semi-pro teams in nine different countries until his retirement in 2012. He returned to Charlotte and finished his degree in criminal justice in 2014, before turning to coaching with a stint as an assistant at Lane College and more recently with Rockhurst University, a Division II program in Kansas City.

Young would later be inducted into the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Arrangements are pending at this time and will be provided here when available.