Devin Vassell's former coach: 'This kid is a high-character gym rat'

Florida State coach Charlton "C.Y." Young first discovered Vassell, and developed a close relationship with the lottery prospect.

With less than a month remaining until the NBA Draft, Valley Tales will publish a series of profiles on prospects that could be a fit for the Suns, featuring exclusive interviews with a college coach or personal trainer.

These are the people who discovered and recruited these players, who were around them every day, who observed their development into a potential lottery pick. Sure, these coaches/trainers want to support their guy, but I also generally found them to be honest about where their player needed to improve to have a successful NBA career.

I have saved the most enthusiastic conversation for last. Florida State assistant Charlton “C.Y.” Young first discovered Devin Vassell when he was a lowly rated recruit in a high-school gym just outside of Atlanta. Young and Vassell have developed a very close relationship since then.

At Florida State, Vassell evolved into an elite 3-and-D player for a Seminoles team that was a national title contender before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament. He is expected to be drafted right around where Phoenix selects at No. 10.

Young’s answers are edited slightly for length and clarity. Buckle up for the beginning. I asked about his first impression of Vassell, and got a 10-minute answer. But it’s neat background information about Vassell’s surprising rise to lottery prospect.

First impression

I’ve been doing this for 26 years and I evaluate a lot of players, especially in the Atlanta area. I was shocked somebody with his size, his length, his athleticism was kind of under the radar. His AAU coach (Steve Bouye) is a guy that I really, really trust. His son is a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Steve is a basketball guy and he loves kids. He’s been around and he’s a very good evaluator. Probably one of the most underrated talent evaluators in Atlanta. He and I have been friends for 20 years. I kept getting calls from him saying, “I got a ‘C.Y. Special’ for you. I know the kind of guys you like, and nobody knows about him.” I said “OK, Steve, I’m gonna catch a flight then.” He called me twice. And when he called me the third time, I was like, “This is like baseball, America’s pastime, three strikes and you’re out.”

(Vassell’s) high school coach’s name is Keith Arrington. But his brother is the coach at Effingham County, where I used to be the head coach, and he and I used to talk basketball all the time. But the reason I probably got on a flight was because of Steve Bouye, and I want that to be known. I want that to be known that he’s one of my guys and he’s a great evaluator, because he really deserves credit. Steve was calling me and I was like, “I’ll be there tomorrow.” He was like, “Ah, C.Y., bullshit. You ain’t coming.” Tomorrow came, they had a scrimmage set up, I walk in and I see Devin Vassell. I sit down and watch Peachtree Ridge (High School) scrimmage.

I’m in Atlanta all the time. You gotta understand, Atlanta’s the No. 1 basketball city in the country. There’s a pro on every corner in Atlanta. But Devin is outside the city in Suwanee, Georgia. Well, there hadn’t been Division I guy come out of Suwanee and Peachtree Ridge in forever. He’s probably an hour and 15 minutes from Georgia’s front door, and he’s probably 45 minutes from Georgia Tech’s front door. So I go over and I watch the scrimmage. I watched about six or eight minutes. And in six or eight minutes of the scrimmage, Devin Vassell did everything you could possibly do in a basketball game.

I’m looking at him, and he looks like Bambi. His hairline is all the way down to his forehead. He’s got one string on his chin. And he’s weak. So I’m looking at him and I’m saying, “Man, this kid’s gonna grow about another inch and a half, two inches. (He’ll) do some push-ups. This boy’s a pro.” The first possession, he goes down and they shoot a 3, and he goes in and tips it in. They come back down, he gets the rebound and he pushes it up the floor and he kicks it to the corner. They come back down this way, they drive baseline and he blocks it (and) pins it on the glass. They run back down and they throw it to him, and he rips a two-foot pop, one-handed floater in the paint. They go back down and he gets a back-tip. They come back down, and he hits a 3 in the corner. And I was like, “Hey, scrimmage over.”

Coach Arrington, he was like, “You didn’t like him?” I’m like, “Shit, I’m about to offer him on the spot.” Then he was like, “Coach, you can’t be serious.” I could see it just as pure as day. So, I called (Vassell) over and was like, “Hey, you want a scholarship to Florida State?” I reached my hand out, and he’s trembling. He says, “Yes, sir.” I asked, “Who’s recruiting you?” And he says to me, “Presbyterian and North Florida.” I said, “What?” I said, “Where’s your mom?” He said, “She’s outside.” I said, “Why’s she not I here?” He said, “She thinks it’s against the rules to talk to coaches.” I said, “Don’t worry about that.” I went outside and I said, “I’m offering your son a scholarship. I need you to call your husband and tell him I’m offering.” She said, “Coach, this is unbelievable. This is his dream school.” I’m the only one on planet Earth — me and Steve and Keith Arrington — (that knew Vassell was this good). Again, I want Steve Bouye to get some credit, because he knew that this boy was the juice. I wouldn’t have known about the boy if Steve Bouye wasn’t calling me and wasn’t one of my No. 1 (recruiting resources) and I trust him.

I told the momma and the daddy, “I’m gonna be here every week, and I’m gonna need you to tell nobody I’ve been here. But I’m coming every week.” So, I started coming every week. About a month and a half in or so, I’m out in the parking lot and I’m about to go to another high school, and one of those internet guys sees me. He says, “Hey, C.Y.! What you doing over here?” I said, “Oh, I got turned around and I’m going over here to Norcross.” I was trying to get out of there. He went inside and said, “Why is C.Y. from Florida State over here?” They said, “He offered Devin Vassell.” Ah, shit. So now, two days later, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Miami show up at the gym. The high school coach said, “C.Y., you told me to keep my eyes out and let you know who comes through.” I got nervous. I called his momma and I said, “I need y’all to commit.” He committed. Easiest recruit we ever had.

I went back to the office and I said, “Hey, I just offered a kid. The kid’s gonna commit, named Devin Vassell. Don’t worry about it.” (The other coaches) said, “What? Who is that? We never heard of him.” But to their credit, they trusted me. They started watching him on film and they said, “OK, if you’ve seen him, we’re taking him.”

His best basketball is ahead of him. Him and his family, they didn’t come visit here until after he was committed. That’s how much he believed in me and (associate head coach Stan Jones) and (head coach Leonard) Hamilton and the staff. That’s the kind of character he has. Most guys like him, you offer him and he blows up, they’re talking to Kentucky and Duke. No, they’re not that kind of people. They’re loyal, good people.

Strengths

Devin Vassell can affect the game in a non-ball-dominant fashion. You could throw him out there with the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and he could get 22 and they never run a play for him. Same thing with Golden State. That’s what makes him so valuable. He’s got high-speed WiFi. Defensively and offensively, he anticipates everything. He uses his hands. Deflections. Steals. He’s a rim protector at 6-foot-7. You talk about a guy who shoots the 3, who can jump up and bang it at the rim, who’s got a great touch from mid-range, floaters and runners and shoots the 3. And he’s a rim protector and he’s a big-time defender? And he’s 6-7? Ain’t nobody else in this draft do all that, not with that size. And he’s high-character? They’d be crazy not to take him at 2, in my humble opinion.

When I saw Devin Vassell, I saw Allen Houston. He’s a better defensive version. Allen Houston was on my All-Star team (when I was in high school). I’m a basketball junkie, like a savant. I remember when I was at (the Five-Star camp) in 1988 and we’re on the All-Star team, and I passed the ball to Allen Houston and he ripped, took one dribble and jumped real high and shot it. I had never seen nothing like that, not at 6-7. Now (Vassell’s) grown a little more. I don’t know if I should say this, because Paul George was so bad in the playoffs, but you see a little Paul George. I knew (Vassell) was a pro. When you throw in his character and his humility and his work ethic, you got a future All-Star.

Moment that best captures Vassell

This is the epitome of Devin Vassell. I tell (Jones) and Hamilton, “Now, listen. This is my baby, now. I love this boy. If he’s not gonna be in the rotation (as a freshman), let’s redshirt him. And he’ll be a pro, one and done.” Initially, when I signed him, because of his body, I wanted to redshirt him. His dad, Andrew Vassell, he calls me on my telephone and he said, “Coach, we respect y’all. We love y’all. We appreciate y’all for giving him an opportunity. But I promise you, with God as my witness, my son coming there, y’all not gonna redshirt him.” I didn’t want to redshirt him because of his game. I knew he was cold. I wanted to redshirt him because of his body. I thought he needed a year to get bigger and stronger for the ACC. The ACC is the NBA South. People are running fast and jumping high. This is the real deal. (Andrew) said, “My son came here to work. He ain’t gonna redshirt.” I said, “Well, if he don’t, that’s OK. No big deal. I’m just trying to do what’s best for him, because I think your son, long-term, is a pro.” He said, “OK.”

So the boy comes to campus and they start playing pick-up. The great Trent Forrest, who’s an NBA draft pick himself, he’s our leader. All-time winningest player in Florida State history. A consummate Florida State Seminole. He comes into the office and talks to the coaches. He said, “Hey, y’all, listen. This young boy, Devin Vassell, no way we can redshirt him.” He’s going to each coach and he’s lobbying. He said, “You can’t do this. This boy’s the real deal.” So (Jones) and Hamilton listened to their point guard. We don’t redshirt him.

This is why he’s gonna be an All-Star and get four or five: the amount of professionalism he has at a young age. The season starts, and he had five DNPs. Did. No. Play. He had five more games where he played less than 10 minutes. Now, his AAU coach ain’t calling me. His high school coach ain’t calling me. His momma ain’t calling me. His daddy ain’t calling me. His brother ain’t calling me. Now, in 2020, that’s virtually impossible with what we’re dealing with in this day and age. The boy comes in my office after five games, he says, “I need to get a bump. I need to get a workout.” After he did not play. I was more upset than him. I’m going to (Jones) and Hamilton, fussing and fighting. Devin Vassell told me, “Unc, don’t worry about it. When (Jones) and Hamilton call my name, I’m gonna be ready.”

Sure enough, we get into the season, we’re in a tussle with Clemson. We throw him in there. Marcquise Reed, averaging 21 points a game, we throw (Vassell) on him. He held Marcquise Reed to about nine or 11. The next game, we throw him in there against Notre Dame. He catches one off the rim and scores about 14 points off the bench. Now, we’re off and racing. He’s in the rotation. We get to the ACC Tournament. We’re about to get sent to the house (by) Virginia Tech. He comes off the bench, has about 18, dunks on two people, and hits a 3 with one second left on the clock in the deep corner — as a true freshman straight from the prom — to save us.

When he hits that shot, it was over. His confidence went through the roof. He was already a confident dude. But when he hit that shot, every workout we had, every practice, I could just tell his body language said, “I am the juice, and I know it now.”

Biggest improvement at Florida State

He improved in every aspect. No. 1, people don’t realize Devin shot 21 percent from 3 out of high school. He came back early last summer, and he and I got in the gym. We worked on his balance-form shooting, and he went from 21 percent to 42 percent. His body, when I first met him, he was 6-4 1/2, 167 (pounds). Now, he’s 6-7, 201. He used to talk like a church mouse. Now he’s vocal. He’s a man. He communicates. He lived in the weight room with (strength and conditioning coach) Mike Bradley. He used every person on our staff as a resource … Mike Bradley’s a mad scientist here who does a great job with guys with these types of bodies when we bring them in. We don’t want somebody short and strong that we can’t make long. We want somebody long that we can make strong.

Underrated traits

His decision-making. You look at his numbers and he could average more points, but he plays the game the right way. His shot-blocking. He just affects the game in so many ways, between deflections, steals, blocked shots, just being disruptive. Now, most people will say, “Well, he can’t break you off the dribble and beat you 1-on-1.” But you gotta understand this about Devin Vassell: Whatever you tell him he can’t do, in 3 1/2 or four months, he’s gonna be doing it. That’s consistent behavior. I don’t get emotional. I read the data. Everything they said the boy couldn’t do, (he has accomplished). His body ain’t strong enough, now he’s strong. He ain’t bouncy enough, now he can jump up and dunk it on you. He can’t shoot it well enough, now he’s shooting 42 percent from 3. Two-star player, now they’re saying he was a five-star. Can’t play in the ACC, now he’s a lottery pick. So he’s gonna get to the NBA and they’ll say, “Oh, he can’t do this, can’t do that.” You’re gonna see. You’re gonna think I’m a psychic.

I would say his competitiveness (is also underrated). Most people look at him and they think he’s Theo Huxtable from Suwanee, Georgia. But now, this dude wakes up mad every day about not being ranked (by recruiting services). He’s got everybody’s name written down. All this, “I was a two-star player and I wasn’t ranked,” he’s mad as hell about that, now. He comes to the game, and he’s trying to put everybody’s name on the list and mark them off. He’s got a lot of fuel. They threw gasoline on the fire, now.

Next developmental step

He’s gonna get to where he can play some backup point and really start beating people and getting downhill off the dribble and that type of thing. He’s gonna get really good at that.

Ideal NBA fit

These teams like Golden State and Portland that like to spread it out and play fast in transition. Not two yards and a cloud of dust (by) running sets. Teams that want to play fast. He’s gonna get somebody a raise. I promise you that. Because he’s gotten me two.

He looks at his game in an analytical way. He came in after his freshman year and he wrote on my calendar what time, what day (we would work out) and when I could go recruit (according to the NCAA) and when I can’t. Because when I was on the road, he’d be mad as hell. “When are you coming back? We said we were gonna go at this time.” I’d have to catch an early flight back, just to make sure I got in that night with him. And he’d want to work on specific things. It’s consistent, you know what I mean? It’s just who he is. It’s consistent behavior for him, just working for success. And again, he’s just as humble as he ever was. He gets it.

Personality

This kid is a high-character gym rat. I’m talking about, “Yes, sir. No, sir.” (He follows the catchphrase that) everything you need to make it in life, you learned in kindergarten. This boy, he’s special. His humility. He’s one of those guys that, when he finishes playing pro ball, he’s gonna own 22 car dealerships or he’s gonna own Starbucks or he’s gonna be a GM of a team. You can just see it. This boy’s like the Rain Man (with his routine). Gotta work out. Gotta work out.

My wife’s trying trick him into marrying my oldest daughter (Ariel), who’s a redshirt sophomore at North Carolina right now. That’s how much we think of him. We’re trying to have an arranged marriage. And his momma, who’s my best friend, we’re in cahoots. We’re trying to make it happen. Now, I’ve had players that I wanted to marry my daughter, but I didn’t want them on my team. Then, I had players that I wanted on my team, but couldn’t be marrying my daughter. But this boy is both. You don’t find that often.

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Tyrese Haliburton (with Iowa State assistant Daniyal Robinson)
Desmond Bane (with TCU assistant Ryan Miller)
Killian Hayes (with skills development trainer Tyshawn Patterson)
Obi Toppin (with Dayton assistant Ricardo Greer)
Jalen Smith (with Maryland assistant Bino Ranson)
Kira Lewis Jr. (with Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway)
Tyrell Terry (with Stanford assistant Adam Cohen)
Onyeka Okongwu (with USC assistant Jason Hart)