By CHARLIE PARENT
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Tounde Yessoufou, a five-star in the class of 2025, recapped his recruitment and unique story after dropping 11 points and 4 rebounds for WhyNot AAU on Friday at the third EYBL Live Session.
The 6-foot-6 forward is originally from Benin, a neighboring country of Nigeria, and came to the United States three years ago. Being an only child, the decision was naturally tough, but he took a jump on “a great opportunity for me and my family.”
Now, he’s chasing his 10-year-old dream on the highest level.
“Nobody in my family ever played basketball,” he said. “I just saw it and then I loved it and decided to put my heart into it.”
Yessoufou is receiving interest from programs like Arizona, USC and Kentucky, while Alabama, Washington, UCLA, Texas and Auburn are all involved. Bill Self (Kansas) and Mark Pope (Kentucky) were both in attendance at Saturday’s game.
He broke down his options postgame:
Arizona: “I’m going to visit [Arizona] June 18th. Coach [Tommy] Lloyd is a great person. The whole staff are great people. If you’ve been on the campus, you can tell that Arizona has the energy, [they’re] loving you and just welcoming you, and that’s one of the things I love.”
UPDATE After June 18 visit: “It was really good,” he told ZAGSBLOG. “They want me and they think I’m a perfect fit for their program.”
Kentucky: “That was my dream school when I came to the United States. I hear about [Mark] Pope, and just from Facetiming him, you can tell he has an amazing energy, and I love being around coaches like that. For me, [Kentucky is] top 10 in the country. You can tell it’s a great environment to be in.”
USC: “I have an offer from Arkansas when he [Erik Mussleman] was over there. [I talked to] him on the phone, you can tell by the way that he talks that he has an amazing energy.”
In terms of his play style, Yessoufou attacks downhill and demands attention on the interior.
“I can attack the basket and bring power on offense and defense,” he said. “Basically anything the coaches want me to do, I’ll do it. I can shoot it a little bit, but my main thing is getting other teams in foul trouble.”
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