Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona announced on April 17 the signing of rising junior Sharron Young to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men’s basketball roster for the 2026-27 season.
The addition of Young is seen as significant for the team, which aims to strengthen its lineup with experienced players. Plona said, “Sharron is going to be an impact point guard from day one. We were looking for a champion and we got one. He’s won three state titles in high school, played in two NCAA Tournaments and wants more. Sharron makes us better and we can’t wait to coach him.”
Young joins Western Kentucky after playing two years at Akron, where he was a key contributor during back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. In his most recent season with Akron, Young appeared in 34 games and started in 12, averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while making 42 three-pointers throughout the year.
He led the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a steal percentage of 4.2% during conference play and scored in double figures ten times during the season—including a standout performance with twenty points against Murray State and nineteen points against Kent State.
As a freshman at Akron, Young earned All-MAC Freshman Team honors by averaging similar numbers over thirty-five games played and achieving double-digit scoring twelve times.
Before college, Young attended Morgantown High School in West Virginia where he led his team to three consecutive AAAA State Championships and was named Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year for the class of 2023-24.
