BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – Cascade’s star guard, Kaegan Young, inked her name into UT Southern’s 2026 Signing Class on Monday morning surrounded by friends and family members inside the Cascade High School Gymnasium.

“I want to thank my parents…just everyone. Family, friends, coaches, trainers, everyone that’s just poured into me and believed in me from the start,” Young said.

Young, who has led Janie Demonbreum’s squad in scoring each of the last two seasons and plans to major in Nursing, landed on the NAIA program from Pulaski thanks in large part to the family atmosphere and strong education.

“They [UT Southern] were the first place I toured,” she said, “Then, I got to meet some of the girls, and I just love the family environment there. Another big part of it was my education. I’m going to school for Nursing, and it’s really difficult to do Nursing and play basketball, so they emphasized that I’m there for the education and that they will work around that. Several places told me I wouldn’t even be able to do Nursing because it’s so demanding and it takes up a lot of time.”

The Firehawks are coming off of a 13-9 (11-5) campaign in Ross James’ first season as head coach, and James now adds a future piece to the puzzle for 2026 and beyond. 

For Demonbreum, Young’s accomplishment marks a milestone for the fourth-year head coach.

“Obviously it makes me proud as an accomplishment on my coaching resume, but I’m not here to build a resume. I’m here because of these girls, and I couldn’t be more proud to see Kaegan flourish from the little 7th grader to the young lady that she is now,” she said with a smile, “She’s worked hard for everything that she’s ever gotten. When we threw her into the fire her freshman year, she could have ran away from the challenge, but she stepped up to it. Her sophomore year she just flourished. Obviously, her junior year there was all sorts of things going on off the court, but she showed her character and she showed her grit. I couldn’t be more proud that she’s my first. This is my first four-year group, so to have somebody out of that group that’s been along for the highs and the lows, it’s a pretty good feeling as a coach.”

Young, a lanky guard who wreaks havoc in the passing lanes defensively while being an instrumental piece in the Lady Champs’ offensive attack, averaged 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game in her junior season last year. In 2023/24, Young shouldered a slightly heavier burden, averaging 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. 

In both campaigns, Cascade’s season came to a close in the Region 5-AA semifinals. After an emotionally taxing junior season, Young is focused and prepared for her fourth and final season in Bell Buckle.

“Her and I had that conversation [on whether or not to sign early] because of my recruiting journey,” explained Demonbreum, “I wish that I had done that [signed early] but I waited, and I had a few offers taken off the table once our season started just because colleges are in a crunch and they need to know. Just to be able to get out there and play care-free and Kaegan’s style is going to be huge for her.”

“I said from the start that I want to enjoy my senior year and not have to stress about it,” she said, “I can just tell how God laid it all out and was definitely in the details of it.”

Cascade opens the 2025/26 season in mid-November.