<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Gilbert Arenas Sr., is among a group of Southern Californians who know new Washington Wizards player Nick Young well. And the scouting report coming out of Los Angeles on Young sounds pretty encouraging. "I compare him to Jason Richardson in that he can jump out of the gym," said Arenas Sr., who helped coach Young in an AAU program. "There have been a few kids who have come through the program that have gone on to the NBA. At first I didn't know if Nick would be the next. But he's always worked hard and kept on improving." Before Young, the Wizards' top draft pick at No. 16, became a standout at USC, he was groomed for success by Double Pump Inc., an AAU-type program run by twin brothers Dana and David Pump. The program is unchallenged in California as the top producer of high-level basketball talent. Current Wizards Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson also came through the program, as did Utah's Carlos Boozer and Indiana's Mike Dunleavy Jr. Dana Pump said he realized Young had special skills when he and a team from Double Pump beat a Georgia AAU team with current NBA players Dwight Howard (Orlando) and Josh Smith (Atlanta) twice during the same season. "You knew that those guys were pros," Dana Pump said. "Each time we beat them, Nick played well. You could tell that he doesn't play with any fear. "Part of that is due to his world-class athleticism. He can jump out of the gym. The knock on him was his jump shot ? people said he struggled with it. From what I"m seeing, though, he's been getting better with the jumper each year, and that's because he works so hard."</div> Source: Washington Times
