Having played at the University of Florida, a high division one

college, Patric Young is accustomed to playing in front of large

audiences. Though he has played on some big stages, he is most

concerned with his “Audience of One,” which is God. This mindset

comes from his strong reliance on his faith, which has carried Young

through very difficult situations. His well-built faith impacts how he treats

others around him as well. These two mindsets drastically affect the way

in which Young lives his life.

      During Young’s time at Florida, he started going to the Athletes in

Action ministry on campus. While there, he was introduced to the

concept of using basketball to worship God. Once Young started to

apply these ideas, it changed the way he looked at the game. In the past

Young cared more about the outcome of the game but now he says,

“I was really just focused on where my heart was.”

This mindset helped improve his sportsmanship and pushed him to play harder as well.  Outside distractions no longer threw him off his game, and he was more focused on playing for the glory of God, his Audience of One.

      Even though Young is focused on his Audience of One, he still

had adversities to fight through. Once he graduated from the University

of Florida, he then went to play overseas. Throughout his professional

career, Young has had many setbacks due to injuries. While recovering,

he relayed on his faith to carry him through these hardships. He kept a

positive mindset during these times of adversity by thinking,

“if everything was easy and went according to the way that we wanted it to, why would we need faith?”

Young believes that the difficulties that we face are all a part of God’s plan to bring us closer to him and strengthen our faith.

      Young’s deep-rooted faith impacts the way he treats others as

well. This affects his relationships with his teammates, family members,

and all he comes in contact with. He attempts to make a positive impact

on everyone that he meets, whether or not that action is large or just a

simple act of kindness. Young believes that those smaller actions are

what is overlooked the most. Just being there for someone in a time of

distress can go a long way and

“a lot of times people just need you to

listen to them and just love up on them.”

Young continually tries to help others around him and puts them before himself.

      One of Young’s favorite verses, John 15:13, “no one has greater

love than this: to lay down his life for his friends,” inspires him to put

others first.

“That verse just gives me the mindset that if you truly love

others, you can put yourself to the side.”

While playing, this mindset helps him focus on picking up his teammates and helping them play to their highest ability, rather than focusing on his own impact on the game.

      Through all of this, Young consistently wants to help others grow even

when that means he may have to sacrifice at his expense because

“in the middle of thinking about others and doing things for

other people, it just makes you whole, knowing that you’re really

impacting other people’s lives.”

His deep love for helping those around him affects what he does, what he says, and how he carries himself.

      Young’s life philosophy can all be bought back to this: rely on

faith. He believes that the key to approaching all the struggles and

difficulties of life is always being able to come back to faith and

remembering how good God is. Young knows that he was meant to be

more than just a basketball player; he was meant to inspire and care for

others while living for the glory of God. In this, Young tries not to

compare himself to others and what they are going through, because he

is most concerned with focusing on his “Audience of One.”

      Thank you to Patric for taking time out of his day to sit down with

me and conduct an interview. I appreciate the opportunity he has given

me to write this article & I hope this brings a better perspective on how he

lives his life.