UVM freshman guard Garvey Young knows people. For starters, he’s scrimmaged with Vermont’s single-season scoring record-holder Taylor Coppenrath. But his connections run further and even more prestigious.The freshman is an alumnus of Georgetown Prep in Washington, D.C., which he shares in common with Roy Hibbert, who is currently a center for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. The 6’4” shooting guard acknowledged his friend casually. “Yeah I know Roy,” Young said. “We text and call each other. He makes sure I’m working hard.” But for Young it isn’t about who he knows, it’s about where he is going. The highly heralded recruit got first wind of Vermont’s basketball program back in 2005 when the Cats upset fourth-seeded Syracuse in the NCAA tournament. By the time senior year rolled around, that same team he saw upset Syracuse was recruiting him heavily. In addition to his recruitment, locals who were familiar with UVM head coach Mike Lonergan were also nudging Young toward the program.”They were probably one of the first teams to recruit me,” Young said. “A lot of people were coming up to me and telling me about Vermont and Coach Lonergan.” Outside influences played little part in Young’s decision. “I chose to go to Vermont on my own,” Young said. “I thought it was a great environment.” Young’s decision to head north to Vermont has paid off quickly as he has worked his way into the starting rotation and is one of the team’s top defensive stoppers. “I think my defense is helping the team a lot,” Young said. Beyond his defense, the lefty has strong skills as a passer and shooter – he’s shooting just below 40 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line. “I’m just doing what the coaches ask me to do and trying to improve everyday,” Young said. The most important aspect of Young’s game is his willingness to improve and his solid work ethic. That work ethic has helped elevate him into the top rotation, though he claims to be indifferent on the matter.”It doesn’t matter to me personally, coming off the bench or starting,” he said. “What matters is how you finish.” Though Vermont was slow out of the gates to start America East play, losing to both Binghamton and Albany, Young trusts that the team will rally to finish strong. “We got off to a slow start after losing the first two games,” Young said. “I think that after beating BU we can get on a roll real fast.” For now, Young must endure the pressures of starting, school work and missing his family in D.C. But Young takes it in stride happily and knows that he’s only a text message away from some notable names that have been there before.