Kassoum Yakwe has been named the the Nike EYBL Defensive Player of the Year and is targeting a July decision on his future plans.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward from the PSA Cardinals and Our Savior New American averaged 3.1 blocks and 6.3 rebounds per game en route to the award.
He is the second straight player from the PSA Cardinals program to win Defensive Player of the Year honors, following incoming Kansas freshman Cheick Diallo.
“Last year I didn’t have the chance to play a lot because there we had older players, and that was their last go in the EYBL,” Yakwe told HardwoodInsiders.com. “I understood all of that. I got to learn a lot from those players and my coaches.”
Terrance “Munch” Williams of the PSA Cardinals praised Yakwe’s importance to the program.
“Many times people overlook the importance of the defensive side of the ball,” he told SNY.tv. “Kassoum has made it respectable for the next generation of high school/ AAU guys to enjoy specializing on the defensive side of the ball as well as being a formidable offensive player. Needless to say, he’s one of the better players in the country.”
Meantime, a source close to Yakwe said he is targeting a decision by the end of July on what he will do next year. Yakwe could end up on a college campus in 2015 or attend prep school for one season.
The source said they are “leaning toward prep” for 2015-16, with Yakwe going to college beginning in 2016.
St. John’s, Oregon, Indiana, Washington and Kansas are working “hard to get him,” and Maryland is “getting involved as well,” the source said.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com was at the Our Savior New American-Linden game in February and came away impressed by Yakwe’s athleticism.
“He’s a freak athlete,” Givony said. “He guards, he rebounds, he blocks shots. He has an amazing body with a long wingspan. There are not many guys in college with those physical attributes. If he develops a reliable corner 3, he is going to be an NBA player.”
