Everything came easy for Desi-Rae Young in her first season in college basketball. The Las Vegas native led the Lady Rebels in scoring with 12.7 points per game and was the top scoring freshman in the Mountain West. 

Her outstanding play on the court earned her numerous recognitions. Young was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year, selected to the All-Freshman Team and honorable mention all-conference as well. She was a critical piece in helping the Lady Rebels finish second in the Mountain West conference, just the third top-two finish in the MW in team history. 

But even with all of her success on the court and recognition she had earned, Young knows that her success is a part of something greater in the success of the Lady Rebel program. 

"I would say I was ready for my success, but I didn't do it alone," Young said. "I had my teammates that made great passes and great plays, it was a team effort. It (earning all the awards and recognition) means that I helped my team win. I'm not going to take credit for everything. I worked on and off the court, but without my team, I would have not won anything."

As the season went on and everyone became more comfortable with each other, Young and the rest of her teammates, and the coaching staff, began to trust each other more. And with that the confidence among the team continued to grow. 

Young did not lack confidence going into the season, she felt like she was ready to make the jump from high school to Division I basketball. Growing up in Las Vegas, her and her AAU team would go to the camps the Lady Rebels hosted. And it was there she gained a lot of confidence, from the previous staff who recruited her to UNLV, that she was ready for the college game. It was those experiences and interactions that made her want to stay in Las Vegas and play for the Lady Rebels.  

Her first year in college one of the biggest adjustments Young had to make to her game was learning to use more of her body instead of just her arms in playing inside the post. Assistant coach Nneka Enemkapli told her that her strength comes from her legs and that you have to use your feet and get down low to generate power.  

Through that improvement and other adjustments she had to make on her game, like continuing to work on being a better free throw shooter, Young also learned that at this level, you have to be a good listener.

"Just listening and taking it all in. Coaches are going to tell you what you did well and they'll also tell you what you did bad. So, just being able to take it in and put it in the court," Young said. 

Not only was Young making a transition of her own, so was her head coach, Lindy La Rocque, who had to navigate her first time as a college head coach. Young said that it was a great experience to learn from her with all the experience coach La Rocque brought from Stanford and she helped the team find its identity. 

But for Young, one of the best traits of coach La Rocque was trusting the team and giving everyone confidence. That faith helped the team succeed and reach its goals this season. 

"For us to put in so much confidence in her, (coach La Rocque), that's what really helped us grow...I know we all have roles on and off the court, just having a lot of trust in each other, that's really set the tone for the season," Young said.  

La Rocque and the rest of the coaching staff continued to trust Young by putting the ball in her hands on the offensive end at the end of games. That was seen on the road against Fresno State on Feb. 27. Down one point, Young made the game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining to give UNLV a one-point victory. Young recorded her fifth double-double that game (18 points and 10 rebounds) and it was one of her 16 double figure scoring games. 

As Young prepares for next season, she is ready for the team to take the next step and the new beginning created at UNLV by this past season's team. She is most excited for competing for a Mountain West championship and challenging for first place. After the success from last season, there will be a lot of attention around UNLV in 2021-22. Young knows she will have to continue to work on her game and make improvements. With new players coming into the program, Young is eager to help them by sharing her experiences from this past season and step up as a leader for the team.