Trae Young first in two decades to have 20-point, 20-assist game
— -- Oklahoma Sooners freshman Trae Young?tied the NCAA Division I record with 22 assists Tuesday night and became the first player in two decades to register at least 20 points and 20 assists in the same game.
Young's 22 assists tied a single-game record, shared by Syracuse's Sherman Douglas (1989), Southern's Avery Johnson (1988) and Charleston Southern's Tony Fairley (1987).
"It's crazy. It's awesome," Young told ESPN after his 26-point, 22-assist performance in a 105-68 rout of Northwestern State. "But the biggest thing for me is that we are winning."
At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Young is the D-I leader in points (28.5 per game) and assists (10.2 per game).?
Young, who grew up near the Oklahoma campus, chose the Sooners over Kentucky and Kansas coming out of Norman North High. He was ranked No. 23 in ESPN's Top 100 and averaged 42.6 points and 4.1 assists as a senior.?
"I just wanted to open people's eyes," Young said Tuesday night. "This is why I came here, to be able to play my game. I'm really not doing anything different than what I did in high school -- it's just on a bigger stage. I'm just so happy to be winning with my teammates."
Young has four games with at least 20 points and 10 assists this season, as many as anyone had in D-I last season. He also scored or assisted on 72 percent of Oklahoma's offense against Northwestern State, and he was responsible for more points than the Demons scored (68) as a team.?
"I'm really not surprised by what I've been able to do so far this season," Young said. "I put in a lot of work, a lot of preparation."
Oklahoma is 9-1 and ranked 17th in the country heading into Friday's home game against Northwestern. The Sooners' lone loss came last month at the PK80 tournament, 92-83 to Arkansas.
"I know it's not going to be easy to keep putting up these numbers," Young added. "But it's OK, as long as we win."
Related Stories
ABC News Live