MORROW, Ga. - Current Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young '04 has a chance to add a second National Basketball Association Championship to the Clayton State men's basketball coaching tree as the Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks open the NBA Finals tonight at 9:00 p.m. 

Last season, Tony Dukes '13 served as a coaching associate for the Los Angeles Lakers and helped the team to their 17th NBA title. 

This year, playing as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Phoenix took down the Lakers in the first round, swept the Denver Nuggets and then beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six to clinch their first Finals appearance since 1993. They face the No. 3 Bucks who got past the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks to reach the Finals. 

"The playoffs have been good. I think we've grown and learned different things from each series," Young said. "Many of those things we can lean on in the Finals. So it's been good from that standpoint. And I think the farther you advance the more confident the group becomes."
 

The Suns have completed a major turnaround from the last few seasons. They finished last in the West in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 before climbing to 10th in 2019-20. Last season, Phoenix showed the league what they were capable of as they went 8-0 in the NBA Bubble. 

During the offseason, Phoenix signed Chris Paul. The 16-year veteran is making his first Finals appearance and has paired well with the youngster Devin Booker.  

Tuesday's game will air on ABC and will tipoff at 9:00 p.m. Game 2 will be on Thursday while Games 3 & 4 will take place on Jul 11 and July 14, respectively. Games 5-7  (if necessary) will be on July 17, July 20 and Jul 22. 
 

"As far as what it means, it's a mix feeling of excitement, and gratitude, for how hard it is to get to this point. I've reflected on my own personal journey in basketball and in coaching. You think about all the people who have helped you along the way, and it's gratifying to be able to get to this point. Those feelings were brief and it quickly became more about, 'okay how can we beat the Bucks' and you immerse yourself into the film and the preparation."

Young, who played for Clayton State from 2002-04, joined the Suns in October after spending four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. While in Philly, Young worked alongside current Suns' head coach Monty Williams.  

Before arriving in Philly, Young spent nine seasons as a coach in the NBA G League, including time as a head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats, formally the Delaware 87ers, Iowa Energy and Utah Flash. Young has also coached for the Shamrock Rovers, Utah Valley University and Oxford College of Emory.
 
Young, a native of Marietta, Ga., began his collegiate career at Middle Georgia College before transferring to Clayton State. He started 51 games while playing in 59 and averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds for his career. At the time of his graduation, he ranked in the top 10 for career assists and assists per game for a career. 

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