By WESLEY CHENG
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — Kassoum Yakwe, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward from Our Savior New American (NY), is one of the rising prospects in the 2016 class. Yakwe played in the 2014 Jordan Brand International Game and scored 13 points and grabbed two rebounds for Team White as they defeated Team Black 74-71.
Yakwe played an efficient 19 minutes, shooting 4-for-5 from the field. He also displayed an improved handle and a nice outside touch, hitting 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
“I’m getting more confident,” Yakwe said when asked about his outside shot. “I’ve been working in the gym getting shots up. I’m getting better [at] it.”
Yakwe has drawn interest from high major schools, and told SNY.tv and The Juice Online that “Kansas, Syracuse [and] Villanova” are recruiting him the hardest. Still, his college decision isn’t his top priority right now.
“I’m not focused on that,” Yakwe said. “I just want to work on my game.”
Yakwe fractured his hand last year during practice, which sidelined him for two months. But he said he’s fully healthy now, and is looking forward to showing what he can do during his junior season.
Said Yakwe on what he wanted to show college coaches: “Defense. Blocking shots. Rebounding the ball a little.”
Related: Chris McCullough: Syracuse fans will ‘see a lot of dunks‘
