Yakwe

[monte]

Really wish we'd stopping touting kids who are not here yet, and who 99.9% of the board has never seen play in High School, as some sort of saviors. I don't expect anyone coming in next year to be a savior. More like a another building block.

I think the last time I looked he was up to 36 at ESPN and would be ranked higher if not for his problems. IMO fans should be excited to have him. The problem is he probably wont be eligible next year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to have him. Just concerned that if he does not turn out to be the immediate impact player that many of our unrealistic fans think he will be, then the kid will immediately get labeled a "disappointment". For every Moe Harkless and Marcus Lovett, there's a SirDom Pointer. Kids who take longer to have an impact. That holds true even more so with big men.

Talking to a fellow poster last night, he referenced fact that OSNA produces a lot of kids with athleticism, but not high in basic basketball skills. Felix, Yakwe & Obekpa, a very one dimensional player, seem to line up with that thinking. DIakite, our 18 recruit, is also very raw from what I hear. Additionally many OSNA kids are relatively new to the game. That means staff has a challenging job developing kids like Yakwe & that equates to time and patience to get there.

On related point, Saturday I attended a scrimmage between St. Anthony's of Jersey City & Fairfield Prep. Hurley's rep as a teacher & coach is well documented. His kids are so well instructed and learning to be basketball players. Yes, he has talented kids, but I was so impressed with their attention to detail running sets & executing defensively. Hurley spent a ton of time before the game running half court drills & boy did he have everyone's attention. I can't imagine too many kids, who can tolerate his hard nosed approach, leaving St. A's without the skills to be a "basketball player" at some level of college ball.

The Jones(Hurley) kid only lit us up for 25, it was Anderson who torched us for 38. One of our uglier losses, when you consider the talent on that roster. Box score:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400546962

 

[JohnnyFan]

From my perspective, Yakwe is a great player to have on our roster at this time. Let's not forget that we are less than 20 months into a massive rebuild. When Yakwe is an upperclassmen, and other pieces are assembled, he will either be developed into an impact player, or he will be a physically strong and experienced player off the bench. Either way, a positive.

Hope we don't chase him out of town.

 

[paultzman]

From my perspective, Yakwe is a great player to have on our roster at this time. Let's not forget that we are less than 20 months into a massive rebuild. When Yakwe is an upperclassmen, and other pieces are assembled, he will either be developed into an impact player, or he will be a physically strong and experienced player off the bench. Either way, a positive.

Hope we don't chase him out of town.

Agree, that would be senseless. Adding to instability this program has suffered from more often than not seems a death wish.

 

[we are sju]

I might be in the minority but I don't think Yakwe is that far off the numbers I expected from him. In 22 mins per game he is averaging 4 pt and 4 rebounds per game. I wasn't expecting too much offense from him so if he can get his rebounding numbers up a bit (around 6 per game) I think he can be very productive for this team. We really don't need him to score, we need someone, anyone to rebound the damn ball!

Sanogo on Seton Hall is averaging 3 points and 6 rebounds per game in 24 minutes. I would take that from Yakwe.

KY hasn't looked very good but Dikembe Mutumbo averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds as a sophomore. Sometimes you just have to wait for the light bulb to go on.

While that may be true of some Bigs, Yakwe is not a big but more of a 6'7 in shoes small forward who cannot shoot the ball. Against LIU I think he shoot an air ball that was off by a foot from 15 feet. I am hoping like everyone here for that light bulb to go off but to compare his development to the great Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is insane.
Forget his numbers as a sophomore which I believe was his first year of playing college basketball. You forget that another 6'10 240 lb center was on that Georgetown team by the name of Alonso Mourning. Zo just happened to have been the national player of the year in high school. Dikembe had the luxury of playing against Zo in practice every day that sophomore year. Yakwe's competition is Richard Freudenberg.

Very good post. Probably lost a bunch of people with last sentence though. RF is Detlef Schrempf reincarnated. Or so I have been told.

I was being facetious regarding Richard. He is a true freshman and only 18. At 6'9 he has incredible room to grow physically but he has much better instincts and IQ than Amar. His shooting will improve once Mully actually teaches correct shooting form. Trust me, this kid will eventually be a 6'10 220 lb forward who will always be in the top 8 of the rotation regardless who we sign next year.
Yakwe's competition in practices is mainly Marvin Clark who is a man compared to young Yakwe. Marvin was schooled by one of the great coaches of our time and Yakwe should appreciate the luxury of competition that really poses no threat to his minutes this year. That air ball Sunday tells me his game being stagnant is all mental.

Yakwe needed to hit a 15 foot jumper semi regularly and he was on his way. Regressed all across the board somehow. Almost like when you go on a 2 week vacation and you come back to work and forgot all your computer passwords. Still would bet my new 75 inch flat screen(my 2nd favorite thing after my son) that Yakwe becomes all BE before RF becomes a rotation guy on a above 500 BE team.

 

[L J S A]

Logged on after not being on all day and saw a whole bunch of new Yakwe posts. I'm excited that I didn't read about a transfer.

 

[Class of 72]

I might be in the minority but I don't think Yakwe is that far off the numbers I expected from him. In 22 mins per game he is averaging 4 pt and 4 rebounds per game. I wasn't expecting too much offense from him so if he can get his rebounding numbers up a bit (around 6 per game) I think he can be very productive for this team. We really don't need him to score, we need someone, anyone to rebound the damn ball!

Sanogo on Seton Hall is averaging 3 points and 6 rebounds per game in 24 minutes. I would take that from Yakwe.

KY hasn't looked very good but Dikembe Mutumbo averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds as a sophomore. Sometimes you just have to wait for the light bulb to go on.

While that may be true of some Bigs, Yakwe is not a big but more of a 6'7 in shoes small forward who cannot shoot the ball. Against LIU I think he shoot an air ball that was off by a foot from 15 feet. I am hoping like everyone here for that light bulb to go off but to compare his development to the great Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is insane.
Forget his numbers as a sophomore which I believe was his first year of playing college basketball. You forget that another 6'10 240 lb center was on that Georgetown team by the name of Alonso Mourning. Zo just happened to have been the national player of the year in high school. Dikembe had the luxury of playing against Zo in practice every day that sophomore year. Yakwe's competition is Richard Freudenberg.

Very good post. Probably lost a bunch of people with last sentence though. RF is Detlef Schrempf reincarnated. Or so I have been told.

I was being facetious regarding Richard. He is a true freshman and only 18. At 6'9 he has incredible room to grow physically but he has much better instincts and IQ than Amar. His shooting will improve once Mully actually teaches correct shooting form. Trust me, this kid will eventually be a 6'10 220 lb forward who will always be in the top 8 of the rotation regardless who we sign next year.
Yakwe's competition in practices is mainly Marvin Clark who is a man compared to young Yakwe. Marvin was schooled by one of the great coaches of our time and Yakwe should appreciate the luxury of competition that really poses no threat to his minutes this year. That air ball Sunday tells me his game being stagnant is all mental.

Yakwe needed to hit a 15 foot jumper semi regularly and he was on his way. Regressed all across the board somehow. Almost like when you go on a 2 week vacation and you come back to work and forgot all your computer passwords. Still would bet my new 75 foot flat screen(my 2nd favorite thing after my son) that Yakwe becomes all BE before RF becomes a rotation guy on a above 500 BE team.

75ft??
Yours is definitely bigger than mine.

 

[we are sju]

I might be in the minority but I don't think Yakwe is that far off the numbers I expected from him. In 22 mins per game he is averaging 4 pt and 4 rebounds per game. I wasn't expecting too much offense from him so if he can get his rebounding numbers up a bit (around 6 per game) I think he can be very productive for this team. We really don't need him to score, we need someone, anyone to rebound the damn ball!

Sanogo on Seton Hall is averaging 3 points and 6 rebounds per game in 24 minutes. I would take that from Yakwe.

KY hasn't looked very good but Dikembe Mutumbo averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds as a sophomore. Sometimes you just have to wait for the light bulb to go on.

While that may be true of some Bigs, Yakwe is not a big but more of a 6'7 in shoes small forward who cannot shoot the ball. Against LIU I think he shoot an air ball that was off by a foot from 15 feet. I am hoping like everyone here for that light bulb to go off but to compare his development to the great Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is insane.
Forget his numbers as a sophomore which I believe was his first year of playing college basketball. You forget that another 6'10 240 lb center was on that Georgetown team by the name of Alonso Mourning. Zo just happened to have been the national player of the year in high school. Dikembe had the luxury of playing against Zo in practice every day that sophomore year. Yakwe's competition is Richard Freudenberg.

Very good post. Probably lost a bunch of people with last sentence though. RF is Detlef Schrempf reincarnated. Or so I have been told.

I was being facetious regarding Richard. He is a true freshman and only 18. At 6'9 he has incredible room to grow physically but he has much better instincts and IQ than Amar. His shooting will improve once Mully actually teaches correct shooting form. Trust me, this kid will eventually be a 6'10 220 lb forward who will always be in the top 8 of the rotation regardless who we sign next year.
Yakwe's competition in practices is mainly Marvin Clark who is a man compared to young Yakwe. Marvin was schooled by one of the great coaches of our time and Yakwe should appreciate the luxury of competition that really poses no threat to his minutes this year. That air ball Sunday tells me his game being stagnant is all mental.

Yakwe needed to hit a 15 foot jumper semi regularly and he was on his way. Regressed all across the board somehow. Almost like when you go on a 2 week vacation and you come back to work and forgot all your computer passwords. Still would bet my new 75 foot flat screen(my 2nd favorite thing after my son) that Yakwe becomes all BE before RF becomes a rotation guy on a above 500 BE team.

75ft??
Yours is definitely bigger than mine.

LOL Typo a little over excited. Brand new if I didn't have to go to work or to bathroom I would never get out of my chair. Actually had a catch with my son today while still sitting in the chair. Amazing the things that make you happy when you get into your forties

 

[weathermannyc]

From my perspective, Yakwe is a great player to have on our roster at this time. Let's not forget that we are less than 20 months into a massive rebuild. When Yakwe is an upperclassmen, and other pieces are assembled, he will either be developed into an impact player, or he will be a physically strong and experienced player off the bench. Either way, a positive.

Hope we don't chase him out of town.

If I recall correctly, Yakwe reclassified at the last minute during the summer/fall of 2015. So, he could easily be a freshman 11 games into his college career right now.

I think we all need to look at everyone on this team like they are a freshman. Even if they played last year, it was such a strange year due to the extreme lack of talent and depth. We clearly were not able to play the style of ball that Mullin is trying to implement this year and the stark difference in style means that this year is the first year of "meaningful" experience. We also did not receive anyone's A game last year as team after team took us lightly.

This doesn't mean that we will get to where we want to in the future, but may be a couple of valid reasons why a couple of players appear to have regressed early in their So. season.

 

[Ray Morgan]

From my perspective, Yakwe is a great player to have on our roster at this time. Let's not forget that we are less than 20 months into a massive rebuild. When Yakwe is an upperclassmen, and other pieces are assembled, he will either be developed into an impact player, or he will be a physically strong and experienced player off the bench. Either way, a positive.

Hope we don't chase him out of town.

If I recall correctly, Yakwe reclassified at the last minute during the summer/fall of 2015. So, he could easily be a freshman 11 games into his college career right now.

I think we all need to look at everyone on this team like they are a freshman. Even if they played last year, it was such a strange year due to the extreme lack of talent and depth. We clearly were not able to play the style of ball that Mullin is trying to implement this year and the stark difference in style means that this year is the first year of "meaningful" experience. We also did not receive anyone's A game last year as team after team took us lightly.

This doesn't mean that we will get to where we want to in the future, but may be a couple of valid reasons why a couple of players appear to have regressed early in their So. season.

Style of play is key for Yakwe to be productive. With almost all of the offense in the half court coming form the guards and Ahmed, Yakwe will not do much other than setting screens and getting offensive rebounds. He can score on put backs and if fed on the run off the break. With no outside shot and no interior moves, Yakwe is limited. He can, however, cover a lot of ground on the break and jump through the moon. With out inability to stop anyone, and with our guards having to support the bigs on the glass, there go the break opportunities. Also not creating enough turnovers will limit Yakwe's opportunities to score.

 

[SJU1512]

From my perspective, Yakwe is a great player to have on our roster at this time. Let's not forget that we are less than 20 months into a massive rebuild. When Yakwe is an upperclassmen, and other pieces are assembled, he will either be developed into an impact player, or he will be a physically strong and experienced player off the bench. Either way, a positive.

Hope we don't chase him out of town.

If I recall correctly, Yakwe reclassified at the last minute during the summer/fall of 2015. So, he could easily be a freshman 11 games into his college career right now.

I think we all need to look at everyone on this team like they are a freshman. Even if they played last year, it was such a strange year due to the extreme lack of talent and depth. We clearly were not able to play the style of ball that Mullin is trying to implement this year and the stark difference in style means that this year is the first year of "meaningful" experience. We also did not receive anyone's A game last year as team after team took us lightly.

This doesn't mean that we will get to where we want to in the future, but may be a couple of valid reasons why a couple of players appear to have regressed early in their So. season.

Great post. Others have been saying it and really seeing now the need to be patient and not overly react to small sample sizes (good and bad). Easier said than done but true. We are clearly not in a position to give up on players with clear potential due to short stretches of rocky play.

There are other guys on the team that I think need to be used differently. With Yawke I think he's playing in optimal role but it mostly hasn't been there so far this year, and it may just be a case where he just needs to play and develop. Maybe he gets there maybe he doesn't but there probably isn't anyone on the team who could benefit from getting minutes (meaningful as you note) than Yawke.

The one thing that should be required during those minutes is energy. That is the thing that's been most puzzling - last year he played with an almost reckless abandon, especially on the backboards. We could use exactly that this year.

He's shown flashes of it, but hasn't really put a complete game together yet from that max-effort type standpoint. Actually thought the Fordham game, despite being his minute-low for the season due in large part to fouls, was his best. Got an early dunk, monster block late. Maybe the fouls were in part a result of playing that way. Not sustainable especially with how thin we are up front, but right now would take that tradeoff if it helped get him in a rhythm. We need him to make more of those motor plays.

 

[paultzman]

Still have faith this young guy will come around.

 

[Section9]

Still have faith this young guy will come around.

So do I but he has to learn to stop picking up early fouls. There's not much he can do if he's sitting. Plus he gets frustrated while he sits and it affects his play when he finally does get back in. With Owens' own propensity to get in foul trouble and Amar's injury we really have a very short rope on the front line.

 

[GardenCity62]

The disappointment inYakwe is that there is very little if any improvement in his game this year compared to last year. We all know he hasn't played much basketball but one would have thought his shooting skills and ball handling would have showed some improvement.

 

[paultzman]

The disappointment inYakwe is that there is very little if any improvement in his game this year compared to last year. We all know he hasn't played much basketball but one would have thought his shooting skills and ball handling would have showed some improvement.

He could have a field day with our two prime guards penetrating & dishing, but he fumbles everything. Is it me or were his hands acceptable last year?

 

[ras]

The disappointment inYakwe is that there is very little if any improvement in his game this year compared to last year. We all know he hasn't played much basketball but one would have thought his shooting skills and ball handling would have showed some improvement.

You can say the same thing about Sima. Wonder if its lack of big men development by our staff or coincidence. Both do not look any better than last year except FTs. Although its academic now w Sima.

 

[Knight]

Would love to see Yakwe become a defensive force and forget about 18 foot jumpers for now. Also, work on FTs.

 

[Ray Morgan]

Would love to see Yakwe become a defensive force and forget about 18 foot jumpers for now. Also, work on FTs.

No need to extend to 18 feet, but 12 feet would be nice. At his size, it really is essential.

 

[usguard]

The disappointment inYakwe is that there is very little if any improvement in his game this year compared to last year. We all know he hasn't played much basketball but one would have thought his shooting skills and ball handling would have showed some improvement.

You can say the same thing about Sima. Wonder if its lack of big men development by our staff or coincidence. Both do not look any better than last year except FTs. Although its academic now w Sima.

Development staff hasn't had time enough to develop No thats not the problem rest with the player

 

[SJU14]

I'm not writing Yakwe off yet. Remember last year Yakwe didn't really turn it on until BE play. He seemed to thrive off of better and tougher competition.

 

[bamafan]

Maybe Yakwe is just suffering from the sophomore jinx. Then when you add on the St. John's jinx, well...