Four-star power forward reportedly down to SJU & Oregon

[Halldan1]

Four-star power forward reportedly down to two schools
Raphielle Johnson

Aug 19, 2015, 10:04 PM EDT

Jon Lopez/Nike/D1Circuit

After taking trips to St. John’s and Oregon over the last week, one of the top power forwards in the Class of 2016 has decided to not take any more visits.

According to a report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, 6-foot-8 forward Kassoum Yakwe will not be taking any more visits with the Red Storm and Ducks being the two schools in the running for his commitment. Yakwe, who attended Our Savior New American in Centereach, New York, visited St. John’s last weekend and just wrapped up an official visit to Oregon.

Also of note in the report is that there’s still the question as to where Yakwe, who graduated from OSNA, will play next season (prep school or reclassifying into 2015).

Both St. John’s and Oregon are in a position where they’ll need another front court body for the future. Oregon, which is currently two scholarships below the limit in 2015, has two seniors in its front court rotation in Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin with junior college transfer Chris Boucher ready to go after arriving on campus earlier this week.

As for St. John’s, they’re also two scholarships below the limit for the upcoming season. The Red Storm don’t have any scholarship seniors in their front court rotation, but Yakwe is seen (along with guard Shamorie Ponds) as a key recruit for Chris Mullin and his staff as they look to strengthen local recruiting ties that weakened in recent years.

 

[ArtieLange9]

There is no way around it, SJU is going to land some talented kids. It's good for the conf and will one day be good for SHU so that we can have a talented rivalry.

 

[pmulcahy96]

I used to enjoy recruiting so much. Big East Briefs, Van Coleman, Bob Gibbons and HSBI report were must have periodicals. In the past years my interest has really waned.

 

[ArtieLange9]

Sounds like he is SJU bound.....

 

[SJUBall]

Looks likely he will commit to SJU today. Will likely try to get eligible as a 2015 but if not cleared would be partial qualifier, redshirt this season and suit up for 2016. At least this is what everybody is hearing.

 

[shupat08]

This kid and Ponds would be great for STJ and the NBE! Go get em Mullin!

 

[SJUBall]

Huge commit for SJU. Best case a top 50 player and top PF not disimilar to Delgado suits up next season. Worst case he suits up for 16'

 

[Halldan1]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


St. John’s Signs Four-Star Prospect Kassoum Yakwe

Red Storm Adds Consensus Top-100 Recruit For 2015-16 Season

Web release: http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082315aaa.html

QUEENS, N.Y. (August 23, 2015) – Head Coach Chris Mullin received his ninth commitment since his arrival at St. John’s in April with the signing of nationally-coveted forward Kassoum Yakwe [Bamako, Mali/Our Savior New American (NY)]. The 6-foot-7, consensus Top-100 recruit will enroll at the University for the fall semester.

Yakwe is a four-star prospect who rated as high as No. 57 by major national recruiting services. The Bamako, Mali, native averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game last season playing high school ball at Our Savior New American in Centereach, N.Y.

"We are excited to welcome Kassoum to St. John’s University and our basketball program. He possesses tremendous athleticism, has good instincts and will be a defensive presence," said Mullin. "Kassoum is humble and has an endearing personality which are important characteristics for team building. I look forward to working closely with him as he continues his basketball development.”

On the AAU circuit, Yakwe was named the 2015 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 3.1 blocks and 6.3 rebounds in 15 games for the PSA Cardinals and head coach Terrance Williams. Yawke collected All-Tournament Second Team honors at the prestigious EYBL Peach Jam in July. Over five games at the Peach Jam, Yakwe nearly averaged a double-double, finishing with 9.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He shot 67.9 percent from the field and recorded 5.0 blocks per contest.

Yakwe enhances St. John’s 2015 recruiting class which ranked 39th in the nation according to 247Sports.com prior to his signing with the Red Storm. The new-look St. John’s roster also includes incoming freshmen Malik Ellison (Voorhees, N.J.), Federico Mussini (Reggio, Emilia, Italy), Marcus LoVett, Jr. (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain), junior college transfer Darien Williams (San Francisco, Calif.), and graduate transfers Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) from Pittsburgh and Ron Mvouika (Paris, France) from Missouri State. Tariq Owens (Odenton, Md.) also transferred to St. John’s after one season at Tennessee, and per NCAA transfer regulations must complete one full academic year of residency before competing for the Red Storm.

 

[TheBluePirate]

I am usually on the "good for the conference" kind of line of thought. But we are currently BAD for our conference and will be viewed that way, so nothing good for other schools in our conference is relevant for us.

I was thinking that my next avatar after Willard sanctimoniously walks out the door with OUR money should be a broken washing machine.

Sigh. I'm gritting my teeth as we enter into this last year of the travesty..

 

[Halldan1]

Four-star power forward Kassoum Yakwe commits to St. John’s
Raphielle Johnson

Aug 23, 2015, 6:21 PM EDT

AP

First-year St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin landed an important recruit Sunday afternoon, as NBCSports.com confirmed that four-star power forward Kassoum Yakwe picked the Big East program over Oregon. News of Yakwe’s commitment was first reported by Andrew Slater of 247Sports.com.

Yakwe, like four-star shooting guard Shamorie Ponds, was viewed as an important prospect for St. John’s for a variety of reasons. One, there’s the 6-foot-8 forward’s ability as a defender and rebounder that can give the Red Storm a much-needed boost in the post. Secondly, the Mali native played his high school basketball locally (Our Savior New American) and keeping local players home was an issue for the prior regime.

It should be noted, however, that Yakwe credited former St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin for getting the ball rolling on his recruitment three years ago.

“Coach (Steve) Lav(in) did a great job of recruiting me for three years. He deserves credit for helping me to learn about the school. My friend and teammate Felix Balamou has been great about helping me know what it’s like at St. John’s. I built a really good relationship with the coaching staff since April. Matt (Abdelmassih) has been the lead recruiter and he’s been recruiting me since Iowa State. Now, when he came back to New York, Matt’s been recruiting me to St. John’s. He’s one of the main reasons why I chose St. John’s, but I also liked the facilities and I wanted to stay local. Those are the main reasons,” added Kassoum Yakwe.

Yakwe, who was a member of the Class of 2016, will reclassify into 2015 and if cleared (Kansas’ Cheick Diallo, who also attended OSNA, has yet to be cleared himself) will be a key player for St. John’s this season. St. John’s lone returnees in the front court, Christian Jones and Amar Alibegovic, both averaged fewer than ten minutes per game last season. They’ll be joined by newcomers Yakwe, Darien Williams and Yankuba Sima (Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens will have to sit out the 2015-16 campaign).

Provided he’s cleared to play there’s room for Yakwe to make an impact defensively as a freshman for the Red Storm, and they’ll need him to do so if they’re to be formidable in Mullin’s first season at the helm. Now with Yakwe on board, the staff can continue its work to keep Ponds (who attends Jefferson HS in Brooklyn) in the city as well.

 

[Halldan1]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

St. John’s Releases Complete Non-Conference Schedule

Red Storm’s 13-Game Out-of-Conference Slate Features Participation in Maui Invitational, Home Date with Syracuse and Gavitt Tipoff Games

Web release: http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082415aaa.html


2015-16 St. John’s Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule


QUEENS, N.Y. (August 24, 2015) – The St. John’s men’s basketball program has finalized its non-conference schedule for the 2015-16 campaign. The Red Storm will play eight of its 13 out-of-conference games on its home hardwood at Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden, including a date with Syracuse at “The World’s Most Famous Arena”. Chris Mullin’s squad will also participate in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, Gavitt Tipoff Games and Mohegan Sun Hall of Fame Shootout, events that feature opponents from the ACC, Big Ten and SEC.

“We are going to be tested early and often, but overall this schedule will allow our team to build chemistry leading up to BIG EAST play,” said Mullin. “Our guys are going to be challenged going up against a variety of programs that play different styles of basketball. Regardless of the opponent, we will be consistent with our work ethic and preparation for each game.”

Season tickets start at $340 for a full season package. For more information visit RedStormTix.com. Season ticket packages include a pair of exhibitions against St. Thomas Aquinas (Nov. 4) and Sonoma State (Nov. 7) for the first glimpse of the 2015-16 Red Storm.

The first regular-season contest of the Mullin Era is set for Nov. 13 versus Wagner at Carnesecca Arena. It kicks off a three-game home stretch in Queens before the Red Storm departs for the beautiful island of Maui. St. John’s will take on UMBC for its mainland game of the 32nd annual Maui Invitational on Nov. 16. The Red Storm then meets Rutgers on Nov. 19 as part of the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games, renewing a series between two local programs that dates back to 1974.

St. John’s first-ever appearance in the Maui Invitational begins with an opening round contest against Vanderbilt on Nov. 23. The Commodores finished 21-14 last season as Kevin Stallings’ group advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) quarterfinals. It will be the seventh meeting all-time between the programs, but the first since 1977. St. John’s holds a 5-1 record in the series with the Commodores.

The Red Storm’s second opponent in Maui will be either Indiana, a potential preseason Top-10 squad, or Wake Forest, which is heading into its second year under head coach Danny Manning. The opposite side of the Maui Invitational bracket features Kansas, UCLA, UNLV and tournament host Chaminade. St. John’s, the eighth winningest program in NCAA Division I history with 1,795 victories, is one of four teams participating in the Maui Invitational Championship Round that ranks in the top-10 on the all-time wins list (Kansas, UCLA, Indiana).

“The field is incredible,” Mullin said about the 2015 Maui Invitational. “Being a really young team is going to make this a huge challenge, but I always felt, even as a kid, that the better competition makes you raise your level. So we’re going to focus and prepare each and every day, not only to get better, but we’re going to prepare to win.”

St. John’s will play its first true road game of the year on Dec. 2 against Fordham at Rose Hill Gymnasium in the Bronx. Mullin then makes his coaching debut at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6 with St. John’s 50th appearance in the Holiday Festival. The Red Storm will take on St. Francis (N.Y.) as part of the annual doubleheader at “The World’s Most Famous Arena”. Three days later the Red Storm returns to action in Queens for the 100th all-time meeting with Niagara (Dec. 9), a series with its fellow Catholic, Vincentian University that dates back to 1909. It is part of a doubleheader with the St. John’s women’s basketball team taking on Yale.

St. John’s hosts Syracuse at The Garden on Dec. 13 for the 90th meeting between the longtime rivals which renews a home-and-home series. The Red Storm will visit the Carrier Dome next season on a date to be determined. St. John’s topped the Orange, 69-57, in their last contest on Dec. 6, 2014 before 24,884 fans at the Carrier Dome, snapping Syracuse’s 55-game non-conference home win streak.

“St. John’s and Syracuse is one of the great rivalries in all of college basketball,” said Mullin. “I am excited to see this series continue. This game carries a storied history and tradition, and it is important to our fans. I have tremendous respect for Coach Boeheim and his accomplishments throughout a Hall of Fame career. It will be a true honor to coach on the opposite sideline.”

The Red Storm plays its next two games at Carnesecca Arena against Incarnate Word (Dec. 18) and NJIT (Dec. 20). St. John’s wraps up a stretch of three games in six days on Dec. 22 against South Carolina at Mohegan Sun Arena as part of the Hall of Fame Shootout. The Red Storm has won all four of its prior contests with the Gamecocks. The programs last met on Nov. 29, 2012 at Carnesecca Arena as part of the SEC/BIG EAST Challenge.

To purchase season tickets for the 2015-16 campaign visit RedStormTix.com. St. John’s season ticket members can reserve the best seats available at both home venues and enjoy significant savings on a per game basis. Season ticket benefits also include priority for purchasing additional tickets to premium and postseason games before the general public, an exclusive season ticket member gift and guaranteed access to tickets for the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.


Day Date Opponent Location (Venue) TimE TV

Wed. Nov. 4 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS [Exh.] Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD

Sat. Nov. 7 SONOMA STATE [Exh.] Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD

Fri. Nov. 13 WAGNER Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD


Maui Invitational (Campus Site)

Mon. Nov. 16 UMBC Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD


Gavitt Tipoff Games

Thurs. Nov. 19 RUTGERS Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD


Maui Invitational

Mon. Nov. 23 vs. Vanderbilt Maui, Hawaii (Lahaina Civic Center) 2:30 p.m. ESPN2

Tues. Nov. 24 vs. Indiana/Wake Forest Maui, Hawaii (Lahaina Civic Center) 2 p.m./7:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2

Wed. Nov. 25 TBD Maui, Hawaii (Lahaina Civic Center) TBD TBD


Wed. Dec. 2 at Fordham Bronx, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gymnasium) TBD TBD


Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival

Sun. Dec. 6 St. francis (N.Y.) New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) TBD TBD


Wed. Dec. 9 NIAGARA Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD

Sun. Dec. 13 SYRACUSE New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) TBD TBD

Fri. Dec. 18 INCARNATE WORD Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD

Sun. Dec. 20 NJIT Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) TBD TBD


Mohegan Sun Hall of Fame Shootout

Tues. Dec. 22 vs. South Carolina Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena) TBD TBD

 

[Halldan1]

On Sunday, Kassoum Yakwe reclassified and enrolled at St. John’s. His eligibility for the upcoming season is being called a “work in progress”.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...t-least-another-month-for-eligibility-ruling/

 

[SPK145]

Personally I think Yakwe is a good player but not the second coming he's made out to be. Top 150. Saw him play against Linden this year and he was pretty invisible.

 

[Halldan1]

ESPN Analyst
Updated 08/23/2015

Strengths:
Yakwe, by way of Mali, is a left-handed 4-man with long arms, broad shoulders, and bevy of athleticism. The two areas where he is exceptional at are rebounding and rim protection. He shows tremendous timing while rebounding and shot blocking. He has a nose for the ball in the paint area and his soft hands allow him to rebound in traffic and out of his area. He can contest shots while defending on the block, but he is very potent coming from the weak side. In addition, he just doesn't swat shots out of bounds, as there were numerous times this weekend (Houston EYBL) he kept the ball in play after protecting the rim. In terms of offensive skill, he has the ability to turn over his right shoulder and convert baby jump hooks or turn-around jump shots. In addition, his ball skills are improving where he can finish plays over the rim in transition.

Weaknesses:
Yakwe needs to continue to polish his fundamentals and skill development to reach his potential. He still plays too straight-up-and-down and needs to bend his knees more to play more on balance. In addition, his shooting touch is inconsistent from the elbow which allows defenders to back off to keep him out of the paint area.

Bottom Line:
Yakwe projects well as an undersized 4-man for the next level due to his athleticism, defensive and rebounding prowess.