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Friday, March 29, 2024
<p>Patric Young (4) goes after a loose ball during the second half of Florida’s 63-53 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Final Four tournament on April 4 in Arlington, Texas. UF will face UConn on Jan. 3.</p>

Patric Young (4) goes after a loose ball during the second half of Florida’s 63-53 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Final Four tournament on April 4 in Arlington, Texas. UF will face UConn on Jan. 3.

Patric Young’s basketball career is far from over.

After being waived by the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, the former Florida center is taking his talents overseas.

The 22-year-old Young signed a contract with Galatasaray S.K out of the Turkish Basketball League, the team announced Wednesday.

Galatasaray is one of the top teams in the Turkish Basketball League, finishing in the top four of the 16-team league in each of the past four years.

"This is part of my journey, an incredible blessing," Young said via his Twitter account (@BigPatYoung4) on Wednesday. "I finally can get off the bench and compete again. Im extremely happy right now."

Young signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans on July 19 after showing promise during summer league play.

In five games, Young averaged 7.4 points and eight rebounds while playing 25.2 minutes per game.

But with the Pelicans having a deep frontcourt, Young became expendable.

"Pat’s a great kid," said UF coach Billy Donovan, who coached Young for four seasons. "I still believe he has a career and future in the NBA. I think any team would be crazy not to take him. I’ve said this before. I’ve coached a lot of NBA guys and guys that are doing very well up there. He’s as good of a defensive center, frontcourt player that I’ve ever coached. He can bring value to Istanbul and to a team in the NBA. I think as long as he wants to play, he can have a very long career."

Young, the 2014 Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention AP All-American, paced the Gators with 41 blocks while ranking 12th in the SEC with 6.2 rebounds per game last season.

He finished his UF career as the 11th player in Gators history to finish his career with at least 1300 points and 800 rebounds.

Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126

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Patric Young (4) goes after a loose ball during the second half of Florida’s 63-53 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Final Four tournament on April 4 in Arlington, Texas. UF will face UConn on Jan. 3.

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